The sports equipment for the European Weightlifting Championship will be exempted from import duties and VAT. Parliament allowed a derogation from the law on the procurement of equipment for the purpose, IPN reports.

“We must further encourage sports, both amateur sports and professional sports. We must make sure that the young people who only start a sports career have access to modern and high-quality infrastructure and the athletes who achieve results have all the conditions to excel,” said bill author, MP Eugeniu Sinkevich.

To organize the championship, the Weightlifting Federation of Moldova purchased sports equipment to the value of over €230,000. The import duties on this total €48,000.

The MPs also voted to exempt the equipment from VAT. When the championship is over, the Weightlifting Federation will donate the equipment to spots schools of Moldova.

Moldova for the first time hosts a European championship in an Olympic event. The European Weightlifting Championship will take place during July 1-10 in Chisinau. The event will involve about 600 athletes from 45 states.