In February 2010, more than 140 young sportsmen from 16 communities on both sides of the Nistru River gathered in Grigoriopol in the Transnistria region of Moldova for a wrestling championship that allowed them to test their strength while emphasizing the importance of sports and healthy living.
The two tournament organizers - Iuri Coica of the Griogoriopol Sports School and Svetlana Zaharcenco of the Grigoriopol District House of Sport and Culture in Crasnaia Gorca - were already working with the Moldova Citizen Participation Program (CPP [7]) [7] to implement projects at their respective institutions. CPP Soroca Regional Coordinator Ala Taran suggested that Coica and Zaharenco organize a joint event to mobilize citizens interested in positive change. What was expected to be a local event became national when residents of Grigoriopol district managed to attract top wrestlers from across Moldova while involving local government officials and businesses.
In organizing the championship, Coica and Zaharenco drew on their experience implementing CPP projects to renovate the facilities at their respective institutions. They united their communities, reached out to wrestling teams from around the country, and obtained the support of local government agencies and businesses to cover transportation and lodging costs for participating teams. The National Olympic Committee contributed medals and diplomas. In opening the event, Vice Minister of Education, Culture and Tourism for Transnistria region, Victor Chitul highlighted its importance and complemented the community on the quality of its organization. He was surprised to learn that citizens themselves had come up with the idea for the event and found a way to implement it.
The event was so successful that it is expected to become an annual tradition. World Wrestling Champion and former CPP beneficiary Vitalie Lavric invited all participants to the International Wrestling Championship held in Ialoveni one week later. “I have participated in many sport events, but the championship organized in Grigoriopol is one of the best I’ve seen,” Lavric noted. “The event sends a strong message about the importance of sports and collaborative work.”
The event was organized by two Grigoriopol community leaders as part of the Moldova Citizen Participation Program (CPP) which is being implemented by IREX with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) [8].