On April 20, 2008, around 900 people participated in a run
against xenophobia, racism and discrimination on the streets of
Bucharest
. The event, organized by the European Roma Grassroots Organisation, the
Italian Union Sports for All and the Open Society Institute’s Roma
Initiative Office, was called “Run against Racism and
Discrimination” and formed part of the largest intercultural run in
the world, Vivicitta.
The event was also an initiative within the Decade of Roma Inclusion.
The main focus of the event in
Bucharest
was to raise awareness about the xenophobic incidents at the end of 2007
in
Italy
which led to an unwanted increase in interethnic tension between
Italians and Romanians.
The route for the run was chosen to pass around the borders
of two of the most popular central parks in
Bucharest
(Herastrau and Kiseleff). Partners in the event were the Romanian
National Agency for Sports, the Romanian Federation for Athletics, the
Local Administration of Bucharest, the Romanian Federation Sports for
All, the School Inspectorate of Bucharest, the Athletics Association of
Bucharest, the Policy Center for Minorities and Roma, the National
Agency for Roma and the National Council Against Discrimination.
The event aimed to create links between grassroots initiatives and
the main sport institutions in
Italy
and
Romania
, and will be repeated around the April 8 (International Roma Day) for
the next years.
Participants in the run included well-known Roma, Romanian and
Italian sportspersons such as multiple medalist Gheorghe Simion, Daniel
Prodan (former football player and director of International Relations
at the Romanian Football Federation) and Daniele Masala, Italian gold
medal winner at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics.
Gheorghe Simion in centerValeriu Nicolae, Daniel Prodan, Daniele Masala
Valeriu Nicolae, executive
director of the European Roma Grassroots Organisation and a senior
advisor for the Open Society Institute, recieved an award for Fair Play
from the Romanian Federation for Athletics in recognition of his work in
organising the run.
