From the racing pigeons sport point of view, Oltenia is a very powerful and competitive region. Fanciers from here approach all the competing categories every year, with very good results. However, we can say that the Long distance and Extreme long distance stages are the ones that attract the vast majority of the fanciers in this area, and for the past years this has been fully reflected also in the national ranking of Romania. The appetite for these competitions has reached a superior level in 2017, when the “Oltenia Star Marathon” club was established, a competition that offers 20 cash prizes, designed to work according to the classic model of these competitions. In the province of Oltenia the associations of counties Argeș, Vâlcea, Olt, Dolj, Gorj and Mehedinți are included, all six of them having the quality of partner associations in organizing the Long distance and Extreme long distance competitions. At the end of 2017, the representatives of these associations decided, in a meeting, to set up the “Oltenia Star Marathon club”, in order to create a competition with substantial financial prizes. Here, only yearlings, with specific rings, distributed since the beginning of 2018, were to compete. The competition had 20 equal prizes available, each one being equal to 5% of the total prize pool, and offered to the first 20 yearlings who achieved the norm for the Yearlings Extreme long distance category in the provincial championship. The contribution for the prize fund was established at the value of 10 lei (~2 € ) for each pigeon, to which is added the value of the genealogical ring itself.

“Oltenia Star Marathon” – a success since its first edition
The first edition of the new club took place, thus, in 2019, the season in which the first yearlings with specific rings competed. Over 3,500 rings were distributed to fanciers. At the end of the competitive season, the first 20 pigeons who managed to meet the norm at the Yearlings Extreme long distance at the provincial level were awarded. Also, these 20 pigeons were exhibited in the Provincial Exhibition of Oltenia, and the fanciers who competed received prizes and diplomas.
Last but not least, when awarding the provincial prizes, the fanciers who competed in the “Oltenia Star Marathon” club had a dedicated celebration during which they were given the prizes. The prize fund accumulated from the sale of the rings has meant 20 prizes worth about 1,600 lei (~340 € ) each.

Gheorghe Preda, champion of the first edition of Oltenia Star Marathon club
The multiple national champion Gheorghe Preda was also the champion of the first edition of “Oltenia Star Marathon”, but also the winner of the most awards. In addition to the 1st place, Gheorghe Preda won three more prizes, occupying the 4th, 7th and 10th places. The success of the first edition made the fancier from Olt even more ambitious, so all the young birds reproduced by him in 2019 were ringed with the “Oltenia Star Marathon” rings. For the next season he has already prepared a team of 24 young flyers, who will be fighting to achieve new prizes. For Gheorghe Preda, the Oltenia Star Marathon club is one of the best decisions ever, but also a strong motivation for the competitional season.