Moldovan swimmer Alexei Sankov won a gold medal in the final of the 200 m freestyle on the first day of the European Youth Olympic Festival taking place in Tbilisi, IPN reports.

At this competition, Moldova is represented by 19 sportspersons, namely four tennis players, six athletes, four swimmers, and five judokas. The program includes nine events that will involve 3,800 young competitors from 50 countries.

The European Youth Olympic Festival is a biennial multi-sport event for youth athletes from all over Europe, run by the European Olympic Committees, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The first festival was held in 1991. Tbilisi was chosen as the host of the current edition at the 39th General Assembly of European Olympic Committees in Belgrade in November 2010.