Sport in Moldova

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Sport in Moldova has reached international levels as individuals compete at the European, World and Olympic levels. Most notably, Moldova has won a range of medals at the European championships in boxing, Judo, weightlifting and wrestling.

Contents

Sports

Basketball

Moldova has an increasingly successful team at the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries. There, Moldova has won two silver medals (in 2008 and 2012) for men and two bronze medals (in 2006 and 2016) [1] [2] for women.

The country has a professional basketball league, the Moldovan National Division. [3]

Cycling

The most prestigious cycling race is the Moldova President's Cup, which was first run in 2004.

Moldova national football team in 2015 AUT vs. MDA 2015-09-05 (004).jpg
Moldova national football team in 2015

Football

Football is the most popular sport in Moldova.

Rugby

Rugby union is becoming more popular. Since 2004, the number of players at all levels has doubled to 3,200. Despite the hardships and deprivations the national team are ranked 34th in the world. More than 10,000 supporters turn out for home internationals. [4]

Wrestling

Trânta (a form of wrestling) is the national sport in Moldova.

Major achievements by sporting event

Moldova at the 2010 Winter Olympics 2010 Opening Ceremony - Moldova entering.jpg
Moldova at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Olympic Games

SportEventAthlete(s)Result
Boxing 2000 Summer Olympics Vitalie Gruşac Bronze medal icon.svg
Boxing 2008 Summer Olympics Veaceslav Gojan Bronze medal icon.svg
Canoeing 1996 Summer Olympics Nicolae Juravschi
Viktor Reneysky
Silver medal icon.svg
Shooting 2000 Summer Olympics Oleg Moldovan Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1996 Summer Olympics Sergei Mureiko Bronze medal icon.svg

Paralympic Games

SportEventAthlete(s)Result
Athletics 1996 Summer Paralympics Nikolai Tchoumak Bronze medal icon.svg
Table tennis 1996 Summer Paralympics Vladimir Polkanov Bronze medal icon.svg

Youth Olympic Games

Alexandrin Gutu 2018-10-12 Wrestling Boys Greco-Roman 71kg at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics - Gold Medal Match MDA-RUS (Martin Rulsch) 23.jpg
Alexandrin Guţu
SportEventAthlete(s)Result
Boxing 2010 Summer Youth Olympics Daniil Svaresciuc Bronze medal icon.svg
Canoeing 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Serghei Tarnovschi Gold medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2010 Summer Youth Olympics Iulia Leorda Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Dmitri Ceacusta Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2014 Summer Youth Olympics Tatiano Doncila Bronze medal icon.svg

World Championships

SportEventAthlete(s)Result
Archery 1993 World Indoor Archery Championships Natalia Valeeva Silver medal icon.svg
Archery 1995 World Archery Championships Natalia Valeeva Gold medal icon.svg
Archery 1995 World Indoor Archery Championships Natalia Valeeva Gold medal icon.svg
Boxing 2001 Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships Irina Smirnova Bronze medal icon.svg
Canoeing 1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Nicolae Juravschi
Viktor Reneysky
Silver medal icon.svg
Canoeing 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Oleg Tarnovschi Silver medal icon.svg
Canoeing 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Serghei Tarnovschi Bronze medal icon.svg
Judo 1997 World Judo Championships Victor Florescu Silver medal icon.svg
Judo 1997 World Judo Championships Victor Bivol Bronze medal icon.svg
Judo 2011 World Judo Championships Sergiu Toma Bronze medal icon.svg
Swimming 1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Serghei Mariniuc Silver medal icon.svg
Taekwondo 2015 World Taekwondo Championships Aaron Cook Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 1995 World Weightlifting Championships Vadim Vacarciuc Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2003 World Weightlifting Championships Vadim Vacarciuc Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2005 World Weightlifting Championships Alexandru Bratan Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1993 World Wrestling Championships Sergei Mureiko Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1994 World Wrestling Championships Lukman Jabrailov Gold medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1994 World Wrestling Championships Victor Peicov Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1995 World Wrestling Championships Sergei Mureiko Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2003 World Wrestling Championships Ghenadie Tulbea Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2014 World Wrestling Championships Mihai Sava Bronze medal icon.svg

World Games

SportEventAthlete(s)Result
Dancesport 2013 World Games Gabriele Pasquale Goffredo
Anna Matus
Gold medal icon.svg

European Championships

Sergiu Toma Sergiu Toma Rio2016.jpg
Sergiu Toma
Serghei Cechir Rio 2016 - Weightlifting men's 69 kg (29049354630).jpg
Serghei Cechir
SportEventAthlete(s)Result
Athletics 1996 European Athletics Indoor Championships Olga Bolşova Bronze medal icon.svg
Athletics 2010 European Athletics Championships Ion Luchianov Bronze medal icon.svg
Biathlon Biathlon European Championships 2008 Natalia Levchenkova Gold medal icon.svg
Boxing 2001 Women's European Amateur Boxing Championships Elena Hadji Silver medal icon.svg
Boxing 2002 European Amateur Boxing Championships Veaceslav Gojan Silver medal icon.svg
Boxing 2002 European Amateur Boxing Championships Igor Samoilenco Bronze medal icon.svg
Boxing 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships Alexandr Riscan Bronze medal icon.svg
Boxing 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships Victor Cotiujanschi Bronze medal icon.svg
Boxing 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships Veaceslav Gojan Gold medal icon.svg
Boxing 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships Alexandr Riscan Bronze medal icon.svg
Boxing 2013 European Amateur Boxing Championships Dmitri Galagot Silver medal icon.svg
Boxing 2013 European Amateur Boxing Championships Petru Ciobanu Bronze medal icon.svg
Canoeing 2016 Canoe Sprint European Championships Oleg Tarnovschi Bronze medal icon.svg
Canoeing 2016 Canoe Sprint European Championships Serghei Tarnovschi Silver medal icon.svg
Football 2011 EMF miniEURO National team Bronze medal icon.svg
Gymnastics 2000 European Trampoline Championships Vladimir Cojoc Bronze medal icon.svg
Judo 1993 European Judo Championships Apti Magomadov Silver medal icon.svg
Judo 1993 European Judo Championships Tudor Lazarenko Bronze medal icon.svg
Judo 1996 European Judo Championships Oleg Crețul Silver medal icon.svg
Judo 1998 European Judo Championships Andrei Golban Silver medal icon.svg
Judo 1999 European Judo Championships Victor Bivol Bronze medal icon.svg
Judo 2001 European Judo Championships Nicolai Belokosov Bronze medal icon.svg
Judo 2009 European Judo Championships Marcel Trudov Bronze medal icon.svg
Judo 2011 European Judo Championships Sergiu Toma Silver medal icon.svg
Taekwondo 2010 European Taekwondo Championships Vladislav Arventii Bronze medal icon.svg
Taekwondo 2014 European Taekwondo Championships Stepan Dimitrov Gold medal icon.svg
Taekwondo 2014 European Taekwondo Championships Vladislav Arventii Bronze medal icon.svg
Taekwondo 2016 European Taekwondo Championships Aaron Cook Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 1994 European Weightlifting Championships Vadim Vacarciuc Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2000 European Weightlifting Championships Vadim Vacarciuc Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2001 European Weightlifting Championships Vladimir Popov Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2002 European Weightlifting Championships Igor Grabucea Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2004 European Weightlifting Championships Alexandru Bratan Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2006 European Weightlifting Championships Igor Grabucea Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2006 European Weightlifting Championships Alexandru Bratan Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2007 European Weightlifting Championships Igor Bour Gold medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2007 European Weightlifting Championships Eugen Bratan Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2007 European Weightlifting Championships Igor Grabucea Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2009 European Weightlifting Championships Cristina Iovu Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2009 European Weightlifting Championships Igor Grabucea Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2011 European Weightlifting Championships Oleg Sîrghi Gold medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2011 European Weightlifting Championships Anatolie Cîrîcu Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2012 European Weightlifting Championships Anatolie Cîrîcu Gold medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2012 European Weightlifting Championships Cristina Iovu Gold medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2012 European Weightlifting Championships Oleg Sîrghi Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2012 European Weightlifting Championships Serghei Cechir Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2012 European Weightlifting Championships Alexandru Spac Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2013 European Weightlifting Championships Oleg Sîrghi Gold medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2013 European Weightlifting Championships Alexandru Spac Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2013 European Weightlifting Championships Igor Bour Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2014 European Weightlifting Championships Serghei Cechir Bronze medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2015 European Weightlifting Championships Oleg Sîrghi Gold medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2015 European Weightlifting Championships Alexandru Dudoglo Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2015 European Weightlifting Championships Andrian Zbirnea Silver medal icon.svg
Weightlifting 2016 European Weightlifting Championships Iurie Dudoglo Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1993 European Wrestling Championships Oleg Tokarev Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1993 European Wrestling Championships Victor Peicov Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1993 European Wrestling Championships Sergei Mureiko Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1994 European Wrestling Championships Lukman Jabrailov Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1995 European Wrestling Championships Sergei Mureiko Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1996 European Wrestling Championships Igor Grabovetchi Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 1996 European Wrestling Championships Sergei Mureiko Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2001 European Wrestling Championships Ghenadie Tulbea Gold medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2002 European Wrestling Championships Ghenadie Tulbea Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2005 European Wrestling Championships Ghenadie Tulbea Gold medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2006 European Wrestling Championships Ludmila Cristea Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2010 European Wrestling Championships Andrei Perpeliță Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2011 European Wrestling Championships Ludmila Cristea Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2011 European Wrestling Championships Natalia Budu Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2011 European Wrestling Championships Nicolae Ceban Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2012 European Wrestling Championships Ludmila Cristea Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2014 European Wrestling Championships Victor Ciobanu Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2014 European Wrestling Championships Andrei Perpeliță Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2014 European Wrestling Championships Nicolae Ceban Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2014 European Wrestling Championships Natalia Budu Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2016 European Wrestling Championships Donior Islamov Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2017 European Wrestling Championships Andrei Perpeliță Bronze medal icon.svg

European Games

Svetlana Saenko Svetlana Saenko Tournoi GPSO 2014 t210018.jpg
Svetlana Saenko
SportEventAthlete(s)Result
Wrestling 2015 European Games Piotr Ianulov Silver medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2015 European Games Svetlana Saenko Bronze medal icon.svg
Wrestling 2015 European Games Alexandru Chirtoaca Bronze medal icon.svg

See also

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References

  1. "2006 European Promotion Cup for Women. 18 to 23 Jul. 2006 - Ta' Qali in Malta".
  2. "2016 FIBA Women's European Championship for Small Countries. 28 Jun. to 3 Jul. 2016 - Gibraltar in Gibraltar".
  3. "Indian cager Ulhas KS to set to play in Moldovan National League". sportscafe.in. 16 October 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  4. Souster, Mark (Oct 27, 2012). "Europe's poor relations show richness of spirit; Mark Souster visits Moldova and discovers a wealth of ambition at all levels in one of the game's new frontiers". The Times (London, England).