Thirty-seven of the 39 students from Chisinau who participated in the Olympiad of the Tricolor held in the Italian town of Reggio Emilia won medals. The students today have met the Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca, who handed them diplomas, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Olympiad brought together 4,000 participants from 23 countries. The young sportspersons competed in six events: swimming, chess, taekwondo, table tennis, shooting and beach volleyball. The Moldovan delegation have won 18 golds, 9 silvers and 10 bronzes and ranked fifth among teams and first at chess. “The children had the possibility of seeing a nice country, finding out about interesting historical facts about Italy, communicating with young people from all over the world and assessing their abilities,” said Liliana Balan, of the Municipal Division of Foreign Relations, Regional Cooperation and European Integration. “So far, I participated only in national chess competitions. I was glad when I found out I will go to Italy. I have never thought I could win silver,” said one of the students, Valeriu Coada. Another participant, Elena Coada, said: “I made many new friends. I visited a beautiful country. I worked a lot and Iʼm very glad that I won gold.” “I was very happy when I left. I knew I will win. At the beginning, I was nervous, but it was interesting. I made new friends,” said Dan Balan, who won gold. “The results you achieved are amazing. I donʼt know if such a result was obtained earlier. But you must yearn for more,” mayor Dorin Chirtoaca told the students. The coaches who accompanied the students said that they achieved results even if the conditions in the Chisinau sports schools are not the best. Officials of the City Hall pledged to invest more money in them. Reggio Emilia is also called the Town of the Tricolor as the Italian tricolor was adopted there in 1797. The idea of marking the event by the Olympiad of the Tricolor was put forward in 1997. The competition is held once in four years and includes sports, artistic, cultural, recreational events and activities that promote a healthy lifestyle. The Chisinau sportspersons have taken part in the Olympiad the third time