Avram Iancu asks Romanians to donate money to buy a new car: “The cheapest model is 19,500 euros”

Avram Iancu, the Romanian who swam across the Danube, from the springs to the delta, has become known in recent years for his aquatic performances, but his latest challenge has sparked controversy. The athlete asked for donations to buy a new car.

Avram Iancu wants a new car. Photo source: his Facebook page.

Avram Iancu, the Romanian who swam across the Danube, from the springs to the delta, has become known in recent years for his aquatic performances, but his latest challenge has sparked controversy. The athlete asked for donations to buy a new car.

Avram Iancu (49 years old), a librarian from Petroșani since 2006, managed to attract the public's attention with his performances in open water swimming in the last decade. In 2016, he became the first Romanian to cross the English Channel, swimming non-stop and without a wetsuit.

A year later, he managed to cross the Danube, a distance of 2,860 kilometers, from one end to the other, under similar conditions. The endurance race was organized over 89 days and ended in Sulina.

Other performances followed. In recent years, Avram Iancu swam in the Black Sea, from Sulina to Istanbul, covered the 556 kilometers of the Main-Danube Canal in 40 days and crossed the Sea of ​​Galilee, swimming over 20 kilometers. In 2021, he abandoned the race across Lake Balaton, but he can be proud of his performance in 2019, when he finished the Arctic Circle ultramarathon in third place, having completed the 611 kilometers in 206 and a half hours.

Avram Iancu's dream: a new car, from donations

Avram Iancu continued to return to the center of attention not only through sports performances. In 2019, he announced his candidacy for the Presidency of Romania, but later withdrew from the competition. He received the National Order “Star of Romania”, in the rank of Knight, the title of honorary citizen of Hunedoara county, and the swimming pool in Petroșani bears his name.

However, the athlete's latest campaign, which started the other day, has caused controversy. Impressed by his performances in past years, a Romanian donated him a Dacia Duster car in 2021. Avram Iancu announced that, although he was very satisfied with the old car, he wants to receive a new one for his birthday, and his dream can come true if Romanians respond to his donation campaign.

“As long as I'm still alive, I dare to dream. And the only hope I have is YOU and GOD. I want a Duster 3. I remain faithful to this Romanian car. The cheapest Duster 3 is 19,500 euros, and the most expensive is 27,050 euros (full hybrid version). So, until February 18, when I turn 50, I'm starting a campaign to raise funds entitled: “I get a Duster, I offer a Duster!”. Can we collect the necessary amount for the cost of the cheapest Duster 3?he announced on his Facebook page.

The donation campaign organized by Avram Iancu will end on his birthday. He made his account details available so that Romanians could donate money to him. Instead, he claims that, in turn, he will donate the old car, estimated at 5,000 euros, by drawing lots, if he collects the necessary funds for the purchase. Also, the Romanian who will donate the most money will be his guest at Petroșani.

“48 hours after the launch of the campaign, we have raised 3,700 euros of the proposed minimum amount of 19,500 euros. AMR 20 days until my birthday and the end of the campaign”, Avram Iancu transmitted on Wednesday.

Avram Iancu, awarded and apostrophized for his campaign

More than 200 people donated for Avram Iancu's new car, the smallest amount being one lei, and the largest over 1,200 lei. However, some criticized him for his gesture, recalling that he was also awarded in the past by the local administration of Petroșani and the Hunedoara County Council for his performances.

“Now he comes to ask for support to change his car. A Duster he received, in turn, from another man who did him a favor. And for this, he asks for money on Facebook. Some of the fans also donated to him. Others showed him his face. And, look, we can talk about the trampled honor. With a simple look at the sportsman's social media page, we see that some donate him a fireplace, others a solarium, some put the tile on house, others bring him wood, pavers for the yard, a Garmin watch — and that's because they want to support the man who made us proud to be his contemporaries.” writes a local woman on her Facebook page.

On the social media pages, some Romanians criticized the athlete for his campaign, saying that there are people who need more help than him, but prefer to remain decent. Others offered him practical advice, urging him to sell his car and buy a new one in installments. Others limited themselves to wishing the librarian from Petroșani “Happy Birthday”, without commenting on the campaign launched by him.