Say what you will but it is hard to find any country as mad about sports as Pridnestrovie. In every town and village all over the nation you will find clubs, sport associations, federations, athletic unions and teams of all kinds.
The efforts bear fruits: In the first fifteen years of independence, Pridnestrovian sportsmen took part in hundreds of championships, competitions, tournaments. They brought back 114 gold medals, 108 silver medals and 199 bronze medals. In the field of sports, at least, the nation received ample international recognition.

The state plays its role, too. It recently constructed athletic swimming pools in Tiraspol and Bender, along with a set of tennis courts in Dubossary and a wrestling complex in Slobodzya — all so that the future sportsmen of the country have places to train. Sensitive to the needs of the nation, the Pridnestrovian state also assists with financial support for 138 houses of culture, 870 civic organizations and clubs, and 133 amateur teams.

In Tiraspol, capital of Pridnestrovie, a large sports complex and hotel has been constructed thanks to private enterprise and the owners of local soccer team FC Sheriff. The white-polished stadium sparkles with tidiness. A large parking lot and a modern auto showroom lies at ground floor. A glittering modern gas station sits at the entrance. In short, the sports complex looks like part of a very prosperous and well–off Western European city. Including its hotel and shopping center, the total cost has been estimated at $200 million.
This stadium is of top class quality. One recent visitor was Hans Krankl, the internationally prominent former Austrian soccer professional and now trainer of the Austrian national soccer team. In his words, the Tiraspol stadium is better than any stadium in Austria(hosting the European championship in 2006).

Other European stars agree. The Dutch national team played there last year, and Italy and Scotland came for their World Cup qualifying matches in the autumn of 2005.

Willie McDougall of the Scottish Football Association was impressed:
" - It has facilities second to none, and they are building a five star hotel for visiting teams. I wish we had something like this in Scotland."

Recently, the Tiraspol sports complex was shown on the BBC. British viewers were treated to a tour of the football stadium which received great praise from Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, Europe's supervising football authority. Later in the same program, the BBC also showed some man-in-the-street interviews which revealed that people in Pridnestrovie are very comfortable with Pridnestrovie remaining separate. Pridnestrovie's own red passport was shown in detail. People were asked about their attitude to it. Those who spoke were very upbeat on sovereign Pridnestrovie's future.

Tiraspol's sports complex covers a territory of 40+ hectares. Apart from the main soccer arena it also includes five smaller fields, training fields, an covered in-door arena for winter play, on-site residences for the home team, a Five Star hotel, and a soccer school for children.

Trivia: Since Moldova has no football stadium eligible for international events even Moldova has to play its international "home" matches on the other side of its foreign border, in Tiraspol.

In Pridnestrovie, in stark contrast to underfunded Moldova, sports goes hand in hand with the larger, broader cultural values that the country tries to install in its youth. In the words of the nation's presidency, this includes "the preservation of the cultural heritage, the upbringing of future generations in the spirit of love and respect for the multi-national and peace-loving country, creation of equal conditions for prosperity of all the citizens — this is the real humanism of our policy. Summing up more than 15 years of existence we may say: We have a lot to be proud of and a lot in our past that we can draw our strength from."

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