Moldovan Athletes Didn’t Represent Moldova at Russian BRICS Games – Perciun

Moldovan sports federations have not delegated athletes to sports competitions in the Russian city of Kazan. This was stated by the Education Minister. According to him, there are indeed Moldovan citizens on the list of participants, but permanently residing in Russia. However, representatives of the Sambo Federation were delegated at the BRICS Games. The authorities are investigating how they got there. “Most of the federations in question were not aware of it. We will provide accurate information, but I can tell you that part of the athletes registered from the Republic of Moldova, with citizenship of our state, who have been living in Russia for a long time and travelled to Kazan for the competition. Our federations have contacted the organizers and very clearly told them that they do not represent the Republic of Moldova at these competitions. There is only one more question about the Sambo Federation. We are finding out the details,” said Dan Perciun, Minister of Education and Research. Earlier, the Sambo Federation said no one had warned that athletes could not participate in such competitions and argued that it was wrong to turn sport into politics. The BRIC S sports games have started in Kazan on 12 June and will end on 23 June. The event is intended to become a kind of alternative to the Summer Olympics in Paris, from which Russia was excluded due to the war it unleashed in Ukraine. Representatives of the Judo and Rhythmic Gymnastics Federations, as well as the Belt Wrestling Association, said they had not delegated anyone to the competition in Kazan and did not understand how their representatives were on the list of participants. Moldova was represented at the BRICS Games in Kazan by six athletes: sambo wrestlers Evelina Cazacu, Ana Maria Vaculovschi and Vera Zoria, Elina Tarleva (rhythmic gymnastics), Valeriu Muravski (judo) and Victoria Bolohan (belt wrestling), Radio Europa Liberă reported earlier, citing its sources.