The former State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences, Ivan Gheorghiu, is convinced that without the removal of the incumbent President of Moldova’s National Olympic and Sport Committee, sports in Moldova “just cannot move forward”.   

Speaking on Tuesday at a news conference at Infotag, Gheorghiu reminded about his conflict with the NOSC President Nicolae Juravschi, an Olympic Champion, who, in the period of preparation for the recent Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, accused the Ministry of its refusal to provide financing. [Before the recent reform of the Government, this Ministry was called the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.]   

“Needless to say that we were ready to provide the funding but only on the basis of a contract signed. We asked Juravschi a question:  for which sportive contests and on which athletes will the money be used? In reply, we heard the following:  Give me the money, and you will see the result!”, said Gheorghiu, stressing that public funds may not be used in such a way.          

In his opinion, the reason of the Moldovan sports’ failures is the non-transparent – both to the State and to the public – activities of Nicolae Juravschi on the post of NOSC President.  

Gheorghiu stressed that the very expensive jeep currently used by Juravschi, which was bought in 2014 for several tens of thousands of euros, used to be paid for by the NOSC until 2018, when it moved over onto the NOSC balance, and from 2019 it has been the property of the private Olympic Champions Fund.  

“That organization was founded by Juravschi, who is now using the expensive motor vehicle”, said Ivan Gheorghiu.   

In his words, presently 6 criminal litigations against Nicolae Juravschi are under way.   

“The leaderships of several national sportive federations, which failed to receive financing from the NOSC for incomprehensible reasons, are now demanding justice and trials. But NOSC lawyers and officials systematically upset court sessions – simply by not showing up. What is all this, if not one more example of disdain towards the public, including towards state institutions?” stated the ex-official indignantly.   

Infotag’s dossier:   Nicolae Juravschi, a famous Moldovan rower, is a champion of the 1986 Olympic Games in Seoul and a silver medalist of the 1996 Games in Atlanta. He has been Chairman of the National Olympic and Sportive Committee since 2001, and a Moldovan Parliament member since 2010 (LDPM). He was recognized as the country’s Best Athlete of the 20th Century. Nicolae Juravschi is the holder of the nation’s supreme state award – the Ordinul Republicii [Order of the Republic].