Moldovan Olympians Forum kicks off 2017 events

14 | 3 | 2017

The Olympians Association of Moldova has staged its first event of 2017, bringing together the country’s Olympians to celebrate their achievements and debate important issues in the Moldovan capital Chisinau.

Organised with the support of the Moldova Olympic Committee, the event provided an opportunity for Olympians of all ages to share ideas and experiences and discuss the topics such as athlete welfare and career transition.

Around 60 Olympians including many Olympic medalists participated in the meeting, which was staged with the help of a World Olympians Association NOA Development Grant. Olympians Association of Moldova President and double Olympic champion Nicolae Juravschi led the event along with Olympic rowing champion Larisa Popova (Moscow 1980), boxing bronze medallist Timofey Skryabin (Seoul 1988), bronze medal winning wrestler Sergei Mureiko (Atlanta 1996) and a host of other Olympians.

The Moldova NOA enjoys a close relationship with the country’s NOC and regularly collaborates on projects and initiatives for and by Olympians, to spread the spirit of Olympism. Last year, in the lead up to Olympic Day, the NOA played a key role in assisting the Moldovan Olympic Committee with the organisation of Olympic Fest, the country's biggest annual multi-sport event. On 21 May 2016 more than 15,000 people of all ages took to the streets of Chisinau to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the popular event. To mark the occasion a new national holiday - the Day of the Athlete and the Olympic Movement – was declared by the Moldovan government.

Victor Peicov, Vice-president of the Olympians Association of Moldova, said:

“We are fortunate to have maintained a strong relationship with our National Olympic Committee over many years and we continue to work in close collaboration with the NOC on events such as the recent Olympians gathering in Chisinau and the annual Olympic Fest, a fantastic festival of sport celebrating the Olympic Movement.  

“We are grateful for the support of the World Olympians Association through the NOA Development Grant, which has enabled us to bring together our nation’s Olympians for this valuable event. Our Olympians welcomed the opportunity to catch up with friends, share experiences and raise any issues affecting them in their post-athletic careers.”

NOA Development Grants are available for all NOAs and can be used to grow your organisation, cover administration costs, support initiatives and communicate with members. Applications for the 2017 NOA Development Grant funding programme will open later in the year. For more information please visit http://olympians.org/grants/development-grants/.