Alina Dumitru moved from the tatami to the basketball court at BCR Sport Arena Streetball. The Beijing 2008 Olympic champion teamed up with former basketball player Virgil Stănescu and Ciprian Ciucu, the General Mayor of Bucharest, in a 3×3 basketball exhibition game held on Saturday evening.
Their opponents were former footballers Andrei Cristea and Costin Lazăr, joined by journalist Radu Abramescu and one of the most spectacular players in Sport Arena Streetball history, Bogdan Savu, the son of legendary basketball player Alin Savu.
Cristea and Lazăr also previewed the Rapid – Dinamo derby, won on Saturday evening by the red-and-whites, 1-0. The two showed off their skills with the basketball and stayed for several minutes afterwards to take photos and sign autographs for the fans in attendance.
“I really enjoyed the atmosphere, especially because I met many Rapid fans. It is extraordinary that this area has been transformed into a park where people can come and do sports, especially since it used to be an abandoned area. The City Hall had a very good initiative and I am happy that we can enjoy events like this. I like basketball, but I think this is the first time I have been on a basketball court in a park,” said Costin Lazăr.
Sport in the heart of the community
More than 5,000 people took part in sports activities in Parcul Liniei over the three days of the event, while almost 400 players from 41 cities competed for the prizes at stake in the official 3×3 basketball tournament. Of the 100 teams registered, 17 competed in the women’s categories, the highest female participation recorded this year.
The winners’ award ceremony was held on Sunday by Paul Moldovan, Mayor of District 6.
The fifth BCR Sport Arena Streetball event of 2026 brought sport into the heart of the District 6 community through a concept dedicated to all family members, where the spirit of competition blended with the experience of an urban sports festival.
In addition to the 3×3 basketball courts, which have become a landmark for fans of the sport in Bucharest, those in attendance were able to try rugby, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, mini-football, football-tennis, darts, console games and arcade games, as well as roundnet, a new sport in which Romania will compete this September at the World Championships in France.
The show was completed by performances from artists of the Bucharest Metropolitan Circus, as well as dance and cheerleading moments by the Drag de Măgurele club.
Alin Petrache back on the grass alongside rugby legends
Alin Petrache, President of the Romanian Rugby Federation, came to the Pro Rugby Caravan area together with two other legends of the sport, Romeo Gontineac and Mircea Paraschiv.
They exchanged a few passes and taught the young participants some of the secrets of rugby.
“The ProRugby Caravan is our main product through which we open this sport to the community, especially to children. Through this caravan, we present the values of rugby in general and bring them closer to children through fun games. And the presence of rugby legends among them brings the power of example, which matters so much at this young age,” said Alin Petrache.
The final 3×3 basketball stop before the grand final
The official 3×3 basketball competition featured the final battles for qualification to the grand final, scheduled for September 11–13. The highest-ranked players in each category will be eligible to create their preferred team for the final tournament, in an attempt to win the title of BCR Sport Arena Streetball 2026 champion.
The best players in the Open categories were Neire Mihăilescu in the women’s competition and Artem Lopukhov in the men’s competition, both receiving a Tissot watch offered by Albini Prassa. At just 18 years old, Neire led her team, Grota, to the Open Women’s title, scoring 16 points in three games and making four shots from behind the arc. Lopukhov was dominant for Belelele lu Impresar, scoring 44 points in five games, 31 of them from inside the arc. His team won the final convincingly against Ecoland, 21-8.
Virgil Stănescu officiated the award ceremony at the end of Saturday’s schedule and had the opportunity to hand the first-place prize in the U18 category to his own son, Remi Stănescu, who won alongside his teammates from Cleanță 2.0, a team that dominated the competition.
The Horizon Europe MVP Rising Star award went to Mihai Filip, from the same team. He scored 44 points in five games, including 13 in the final, which Cleanță 2.0 won 21-17 against Calu stă pe șa.
In order to ensure the best possible conditions for the competition and to protect the players, the schedule included a well-deserved lunch break, at a time when the high temperatures made outdoor sports particularly uncomfortable.
BCR Sport Arena Streetball – Parcul Liniei was organized with the support of District 6 City Hall and supported by: BCR, Mastercard, BCR Leasing, Regina Maria, Nike, the Romanian Basketball Federation, Tissot, Horizon, Popeyes, vitamin aqua, Kandia, BCR Asigurări and Ideal Board Games. The official radio station of the competition is Kiss FM.
