Our analysis of the estimations for the beginning of the 2020 season ends today, when we present you how things are in the province of Oltenia. Here, the racing pigeons sport is very popular, and every year is putting its mark on the national pigeon championship of Romania. The fanciers in this province are found every season among the winners at national level, excelling in all of the categories, from short distance, to extreme long distance ones.

For the season that will start in about two months, the numbers are estimated to be around 74,000 pigeons, respectively 1,553 fanciers. At the first stage of the 2019 season, in the seven counties that form the province of Oltenia (Mehedinți, Gorj, Dolj, Olt, Vâlcea, Argeș and Teleorman), a total of 59,314 pigeons were engaged, and the number of fanciers that participated in this first stage was 1,233. For a group consisting of only seven counties, the figures are more than encouraging, and for 2020, at least at present, significant increases in both the number of pigeons and fanciers are expected.

Dolj and Olt, the most powerful associations in Oltenia

Two important associations in Oltenia, both in terms of the number of pigeons and fanciers and in terms of results, the associations Dolj and Olt will be very combative in 2020. The number of fanciers in these two associations benefited from a true “infusion”, increasing significantly compared to last year. By implicitly increasing the number of pigeons, the competition will be even stronger. At Dolj, 311 fanciers have already been announced, and the estimated number of pigeons for the first stage is 16,000. Compared to last season, when at the first stage there were 237 fanciers and 11,827 pigeons, what is announced for this season is more than exciting. Notable changes have occurred this year in the Columbian Olt Association. Here, last season started with 290 fancies and 13,787 pigeons. According to the president of the Olt association, Remus Cernătoiu, in 2020 the figures will be much higher, being around 350 fanciers and 15,000 pigeons.

Gorj, Vâlcea, Mehedinți and Argeș associations, numbers much higher than in 2019

In the next four of the pigeon associations in Oltenia, Gorj, Valcea, Mehedinți and Argeș, the 2020 season comes with significant increases in the number of fanciers and, implicitly, the number of pigeons. Whether we are talking about fanciers who registered for the first time this year, or the ones who preferred to join the National Federation of Pigeon Fanciers in Romania (FNCPR) from other pigeon groups, it is certain that in the four associations mentioned above, in 2020, many more fanciers will compete than in previous years. The Gorj Association is currently composed of 180 fanciers, and for the first stage of the season it is estimated that there will be around 9,000 pigeons launched. Last season, the participation in the first stage consisted of 137 fanciers and 5,545 pigeons, numbers much lower than the expectations for the season 2020. In Vâlcea we find approximately the same situation. By 2020, representatives of the association rely on about 200 fanciers and 8,000 pigeons. If in the number of pigeons the situation is about the same as last year (8,105 pigeons participated for the first stage of 2019), in fanciers we see a significant increase, from 164 last year, to almost 200, this year. At the first stage of this year organized in Mehedinți, it is estimated that 180 fanciers will participate, and about 11,000-12.000 pigeons, at least based on current calculations. If the situation remains the same, we are talking about a further 26 fanciers and several thousand pigeons compared to the first stage of last season. In Argeș, by 2020, there are more than 300 fanciers and up to 12,000 pigeons, figures much higher than the beginning of the 2019 season (220 fanciers and 10,187 first-stage pigeons). Last but not least, in the smallest of the pigeon associations in Oltenia, Teleorman county, this year, 32 fanciers and about 1,800 pigeons will compete. In the end, we can conclude that Oltenia is the province where we found the most progress in the country compared to the situation from the beginning of last season, given that, at the moment, we are discussing over 74,000 pigeons and 1,553 fanciers announced for the new season.