Moldova at the Olympics
The Republic of Moldova was officially declared as an independent country in 1991 and the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Moldova (MDA) was created on the same year. Two years later, it was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Moldovan athletes have been competing in the Olympics since 1900 though.
From 1900 to 1912, they did so as part of the Russian Empire. In 1918 to 1940, they were part of the Romanian delegation. From 1952 to 1988, they were under the Soviet Union flag and in 1992, they were part of the Unified Team.
In 1994, they made their official debut in the Summer Games as an independent country. The next Summer Games which was held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, they officially won their first Olympic medals when the duo of Nicolae Juravschi and Viktor Reneysky won the silver medal in men's C2 500 meters Canadian Pairs (Canoeing). Wrestler Sergei Mureiko also won the bronze in the Men's Greco-Roman Super Heavyweight.
They may be the first medals but they definitely will not be the last. In the 2000 Summer Games, shooter Oleg Moldovan took the silver in the men's 10 meter running target and boxer Vitalie Gruşac won the bronze medal after he defeated Turkish Bulent Ulusoy in the welterweight division in Sydney, Australia.
For the Winter Games, Moldova has been participating since 1994 but they are yet to win their first medal from any of the sports in the Winter Games.
Related Pages
- Moldova at the Winter Olympics
- Information about the Soviet Union at the Olympics
- More trivia from each Country at the Olympic Games
- About sport in Moldova
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