From the Tiraspoltimes, Tiraspol, Moldova, April 2008 “Some of Pridnestrovie’s women are flexing their muscles – and bringing home gold medals as a result. In the regional bodybuilding finals in Odessa, PMR took first prize for female body fitness. In May, Tiraspol will host an international bodybuilding tournament.”
Tiraspol (IPA: [ti.’ras.pol]; Russian and Ukrainian: Тирáсполь; Moldavian Cyrillic: Тираспол) is a city in Eastern Europe, the capital and administrative center of the separatist Transnistrian region, and the second largest city in Moldova (as internationally recognized). The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. The city has many different light industries. Among them are the production of furniture and electrical goods. (wikipedia)
Tiraspol was founded by the Russian general Alexander Suvorov in 1792.[1][2] The city celebrates its anniversary every year on October 14.[3]
From the BBC: “The bulk of it, between the rivers Dniester and Prut, is made up of an area formerly known as Bessarabia. This territory was annexed by the USSR in 1940 following the carve-up of Romania in the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR. Two-thirds of Moldovans are of Romanian descent, the languages are virtually identical and the two countries share a common cultural heritage.