On the photo: Sergey Tarnovsky (far right) and Irina Ryngach received awards from Dan Perchun's hands Photo: mec.gov.md
The Ministry of Education and Research presented more than 100 awards to Moldovan sportsmen, coaches, representatives of federations and sports veterans within the “Sports Gala” held at the Palace of the Republic.
Last year, the bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in Tokyo (Japan) and Paris (France), Serghei Tarnovski, won gold and bronze medals in the canoe singles at the World Championships in Milan (Italy). His victory in the 5,000 canoe single allowed him to become a three-time world champion. He also won a silver medal at the World Rowing Marathon Championships in Győr, Hungary.
Tarnovsky was honored with this award for the sixth consecutive year.
For her part, Irina Ryngac won a bronze medal in the women’s wrestling event at the World Olympic Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. At the continental championship in Bratislava (Slovakia), the athlete became the silver medalist of the competition in the weight category up to 65 kg.
Nicolae Juravski, who also heads the National Olympic and Sports Committee (NOSC), and Andrei Kipery were recognized as Coaches of the Year. The specialists are mentors of Tarnovski and Ryngach respectively.
In total, Moldovan athletes won about 600 medals at international competitions last year. Of them, 244 medalists distinguished themselves at world championships, 357 – at European championships. At the Sports Gala, awards were also presented for sports achievements, including to young athletes, and in a number of nominations: “Discovery of the Year”, “Talent of the Year”, “Surprise of the Year”, “Audience Award”, “Team of the Year”, “Federation of the Year”, “Civic Engagement” (see the list of awardees in the table). Awards were presented in 30 different categories.
The state budget allocated 37 million lei for the awards. Education and Research Minister Dan Perciun confirmed the interest of the ministry he heads in supporting sports. “In 2025, you gave us many reasons to be proud with your results. Every time you climbed the podium, you carried with you the hopes of an entire country. The medals you won represent the sports “calling card” of our country. In addition to statistics, they mean years of labor, many personal sacrifices and an inner strength that inspires us all… Bonuses for athletes who have achieved success in the international arena have been doubled, sports infrastructure has been improved, and the training conditions for national teams have become better. Only last year, the state allocated about 924 million lei for the national sport, which is much more compared to the previous years,” the minister said, addressing the participants of the Sports Gala.
A year earlier, Serghei Tarnovski and Anastasia Nikita were declared the best Moldovan sportsmen. The vice-champion of the 2024 Olympics, who became a member of parliament last year, promised to announce this year whether she intends to return to professional sports.
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The winners of the 2025 Sports Gala are as follows |
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Nomination |
Laureate |
Type of sport |
| “Athlete of the Year (Olympic sports) |
Irina Ringach |
Women’s wrestling |
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Sergey Tarnovschi |
Canoeing |
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| “Athlete of the Year (non-Olympic sports) |
Anastasia Spynu |
Shotokan karate |
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Artem Livadar |
Thai boxing |
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| “Coach of the Year” |
Nicolae Juravski |
Canoeing |
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Andrei Chiperi |
Olympic wrestling |
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| “Discovery of the Year” |
Elena Erighina-Cîlcic |
Weightlifting |
| “Talent of the Year |
Daria Sazonova |
Women’s boxing |
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Alexander Solovey |
Greco-Roman wrestling |
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| “Surprise of the Year |
Maxim Carayon |
Roller sports |
| “Audience Award” |
Marin Robu |
Weightlifting |
| “Athletic achievement and will to win” |
Daniela Cochu |
Canoeing |
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Ion Basoc |
Para Judo |
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Vitaly Eremenco |
Greco-Roman wrestling |
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Oleg Cretsul |
Para-Judo / Para-Sambo |
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Alexandru Paraschiv |
Boxing |
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Gabriela Rudoy |
Women’s wrestling (Juniors) |
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Ion Bulgaru |
Freestyle wrestling (juniors) |
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Maxim Dimov |
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Vadim Cretu |
Para Judo (juniors) |
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Maxim Sarmanov |
Greco-Roman wrestling (juniors) |
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Artyom Roshca |
Taekwondo (juniors) |
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Climentii Ursu |
Air pistol shooting (juniors) |
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| “Best Young Athlete of the Year |
Nicoleta Cojocaru |
Weightlifting |
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Alexandru Gaidarli |
Freestyle wrestling |
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| “Best Junior Athlete of the Year |
Irina Terzi |
Women’s wrestling |
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Dan Sechrieru |
Weightlifting |
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| “Team of the Year” |
Men’s beach rugby team |
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Men’s beach soccer team |
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Men’s junior national water polo team (U-18) |
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| “Federation of the Year” |
Canoeing Federation |
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Olympic Wrestling Federation |
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Weightlifting Federation |
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| “Civic Engagement” | A number of sports organizations, which included the NOSC, the Paralympic Committee, the Moldovan Football Federation and the School Sports Federation | |
