Two Moldovan archers will carry the country’s flag at the Olympics
The same two sportsmen were already flag bearers at the Tokyo Olympics
Originally published on Global Voices
Dan Olaru at London 2012. Image “Bubmin Kim Dan Olaru” by Andy Rogers via Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0.
The flag of Moldova at the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris will be carried by archers Dan Olaru and Alexandra Mîrca, who are part of Moldovan national team. According to NewsMaker, this was announced by the National Olympic Committee on July 16, 2024.
The same two sportsmen were already flag bearers for the Moldovan team at the Tokyo Olympics, the committee said. In addition, Dan Olaru carried the flag of Moldova at the 2012 London Olympics when he was only 15 years old.
NewsMaker reports that the government of Moldova previously approved the amount of prizes for participation in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Athletes who win a gold medal will receive MDL 3 million (approximately USD 168,000), and those who take second and third places will receive MLD 2.6 million (approximately USD 145,600) and MLD 2 million (approximately USD 112,000), respectively. Coaches will also receive prizes equal to the athlete's prize.
The Summer Olympic Games will be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11. A total of 10,500 athletes will participate in competitions in 32 sports. The Moldovan team will consist of 26 athletes in the following sports: wrestling, canoe and kayak rowing, equestrian sports, athletics (track and field), shooting, archery, and weightlifting.
NewsMaker reported earlier that in Moldova, a series of documentary films about athletes who will represent Moldova at the Olympics were made for the Paris Olympic Games. One of the films is about canoeist Serghei Tarnovschi, who won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
In the film “Road to Paris,” Serghei and his brother Oleg talk about their childhood in Lviv, the reasons for their move to Moldova, their victories, and the difficulties they faced along the way.