In 1937, the first organized form of racing pigeons sport on the territory of our country was created. Through the major contribution of Major Traian Nițescu, the Columba Association – Romanian Union for the Cultivation of Traveling Pigeons was born, officially recognized by the decision of the Ilfov Court of 1939. This primary form of organization of pigeon sport in Romania will subsequently undergo various changes in status or name, so that, at the beginning of 1991, was named the Central Association of Pigeon Fanciers in Romania, but also the Union of Pigeon Fellowships in Romania (U.F.C.R). In 2007, the National Federation of Pigeon Fanciers in Romania was established, who took over the entire patrimony from the former Columba Association, becoming the legal successor of the first form of pigeon fancier organization, Columba Association – Romanian Union for the Cultivation of Traveling Pigeons, founded in 1937, and, implicitly, of the various names that this organism has bore over time. Thirteen years later, the National Conference, held on August 23 in Bucharest, voted to return to the old name and form of organization, Union of Pigeon Federations in Romania (U.F.C.R), starting with the 2021 season.

The autumn of the difficult year 2020 represents a moment of maximum intensity for the pigeon sport in Romania. At the National Conference organized by the National Federation of Romanian Pigeon Fanciers on August 23, in Bucharest, a historic decision was made. Members present overwhelmingly voted to return, starting next year, to the name “Union of Pigeon Federations in Romania (U.F.C.R)”, but also to the form of the previous organization. Thus, the National Federation of Pigeon Fanciers in Romania (F.N.C.P.R.) will become the Union of Pigeon Federations in Romania (U.F.C.R), and the county associations will become branches of this Union.

Why go back to the U.F.C.R.?

As a form of organization, the F.N.C.P.R. functions as a body representing the interests of pigeon fancier associations affiliated to it, being constituted on the principle of free association as a non-profit organization, with legal personality and private patrimony, distinct and indivisible. From a legal point of view, the functioning of county associations is a difficult one, at national level there are many cases in which the management of associations is not or cannot be recognized by the court. Another very important aspect is the economic one, which should not be treated superficially. “The idea of ​​returning to the historical association, the one that founded pigeon sport in Romania in 1937, took shape two years ago. We have all seen that in recent years, other pigeon fancier organizations in Romania have complained that there is an organization that is no longer active and that the representation held by the F.N.C.P.R. at national and international level it is only partial and truncated, because we all come from this organization. From there, we took the idea of ​​returning home. I really liked that the person who is perceived as an image of our large-scale events, Andreea Marin, returned the other day in TVR, using the same phrase, that she returned home. This is the idea from which we started: a return home and a reunion of pigeon fanciers in Romania, under the aegis of the association that founded this sport. Of course, this is not the only reason, but it is the main reason why we started this large-scale project. Another reason is that the structure set up in 2007, F.N.C.P.R, which continued the international representation and activity of the U.F.C.R, as decided at the General Assembly of that time, became cumbersome, at the level of some associations there were extremely big problems with the registration new leaderships and we have many cases in which the legitimacy of the new leaderships elected by the members is questioned by those who appear in the official documents of the associations. There are judges who consider that the association consists of only the few founding members, there are other judges who consider that the association consists of all members and require a series of documents very difficult to obtain. And, last but not least, I could put the complex financial-accounting situation, generated by the operations that take place at the level of non-profit associations and which are accounting operations with a certain specific, more or less understood by the financial structures at the county level, and which will now be greatly simplified, with centralized accounting at Union level, which encompasses financial-accounting activities at the level of subsidiaries. This will be, as was highlighted at the National Conference, extremely beneficial for all those who lead the associations now and will lead, in the new form, branches “, states Marius Tunduc, president of F.N.C.P.R.

U.F.C.R., a good opportunity for unification

In addition to organizational and operational issues, the return to the U.F.C.R. it is a chance not to be missed. It is a good opportunity for the pigeon fancier forces from Romania to unite, for the Romanian pigeon fanciers to participate in a single national championship and to have access to the international representation, to be able to access the Pigeon fancier Olympics or the European Cup. On the upward trend that our country is in terms of pigeon sport, the gathering of the ranks under the auspices of the U.F.C.R. it would be nothing more than a new guarantee for performance and promotion, at national and international level. “The project tries to invite a return home of Romanian pigeon fanciers, we want an invitation for all Romanian pigeon fanciers who are in other structures in Romania, to celebrate together the Olympics that will take place in January 2022. I really want us all to be under the same auspices at that moment, and we are open to any discussions with all those who want to return home. I am glad that our initiative did not go unnoticed and we receive more and more questions about the members of the U.C.P. heading towards us, regarding the use of U.C.P. and people seem to want to go home. In 2022 it will be 85 years since the establishment of the Columba Association by Major Traian Nițescu and it is a good opportunity to shake hands and put aside our personal pride and the rest of negative that has been so far, to step together towards a modern pigeon fancier, of the future, under the same umbrella, our house, UFCR “, added Marius Tunduc, president of F.N.C.P.R.