Slobozya is home to a wrestling complex and a lot of other sports installations. In many ways, this town in the Southern part of Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica can be said to be the center of sports in this young country.

Say what you will but it is hard to find any country as mad about sports as Pridnestrovie. In every town and village all over the nation you will find clubs, sport associations, federations, athletic unions and teams of all kinds.

The efforts bear fruits: In the first fifteen years of independence, Pridnestrovian sportsmen took part in hundreds of championships, competitions, tournaments. They brought back 114 gold medals, 108 silver medals and 199 bronze medals. In the field of sports, at least, the nation received ample international recognition.

Young sportsmen carry the flag

The state plays its role, too. It recently constructed athletic swimming pools in Tiraspol and Bender, along with a set of tennis courts in Dubossary and a wrestling complex in Slobozya — all so that the future sportsmen of the country have places to train. Sensitive to the needs of the nation, the Pridnestrovian state also assists with financial support for 138 houses of culture, 870 civic organizations and clubs, and 133 amateur teams.

In Pridnestrovie, in stark contrast to underfunded Moldova, sports goes hand in hand with the larger, broader cultural values that the country tries to install in its youth. In the words of the nation's president, this includes "the preservation of the cultural heritage, the upbringing of future generations in the spirit of love and respect for the multi-national and peace-loving country, creation of equal conditions for prosperity of all the citizens — this is the real humanism of our policy. Summing up more than 15 years of existence we may say: We have a lot to be proud of and a lot in our past that we can draw our strength from."

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