List of flag bearers for Moldova at the Olympics
Table:
#
Event year
Season
Flag bearer
Sport

12

2016

Summer

Nicolai Ceban

Wrestling

11

2014

Winter

Victor Pînzaru

Cross-country skiing

10
2012
Summer
Dan Olaru
Archery

9
2010
Winter
Victor Pînzaru
Cross-country skiing

8
2008
Summer
Nicolai Ceban
Wrestling

7
2006
Winter
Natalia Levchenkova
Biathlon

6
2004
Summer
Oleg Moldovan
Shooting

5
2002
Winter
Ion Bucsa
Cross-country skiing

4
2000
Summer
Vadim Vacarciuc
Weightlifting

3
1998
Winter
Ion Bucsa
Biathlon

2
1996
Summer
Vadim Vacarciuc
Weightlifting

1
1994
Winter
Vasily Gherghy
Biathlon

Consulting the following table and the textual context listed.

Respond to the question below: Who beat the person who bore the Moldovan flag at the Olympic Games of 2016 that year ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

The 2016 Summer Olympics ( Portuguese : Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016 ) , [ a ] officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( Portuguese : Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada ) and commonly known as Rio 2016 , was an international multi-sport event that was held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , with preliminary events in some sports beginning on 3 August . These were the first Olympic Games ever to be held in South America and the fourth to be held in a developing country , after the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico , the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union , and the 2008 Summer Olympics in China . More than 11,000 athletes from 205 National Olympic Committees took part , including first time entrants Kosovo , South Sudan , and the Refugee Olympic Team . With 306 sets of medals , the games featured 28 Olympic sports , including rugby sevens and golf , which were added to the Olympic program in 2009 . These sporting events took place at 33 venues in the host city and at five separate venues in the Brazilian cities of São Paulo , Belo Horizonte , Salvador , Brasília , and Manaus . These were the first Summer Olympic Games to take place under the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) presidency of Thomas Bach . The host city Rio de Janeiro was announced at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen , Denmark , on 2 October 2009 . Rio became the first South American city ever to host the Olympic Games . These were the first games to be held in a Portuguese-speaking country , the first summer edition to be held entirely in the host country 's winter season , the first since 1968 to be held in Latin America , and the first since 2000 to be held in the Southern Hemisphere . The United States topped the medal table , winning the most gold and overall medals , 46 and 121 , as well as its 1,000th Summer Olympic gold medal overall . Great Britain finished second and became only the second country in modern Olympic history to increase its tally of medals in the Olympiad immediately after it had been host nation . China finished third .
Nicolai Ceban ( Romanian , Nicolae Ceban ; Moldovan Cyrillic : Чебан , Николай ; born 30 March 1986 in Talmaza , Moldavia , Soviet Union ) is a Moldovan freestyle wrestler . At the 2008 Summer Olympics in the freestyle 96 kg event , he was knocked out in the first round by Gergely Kiss . He competed in the freestyle 96 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics ; after defeating Sinivie Boltic in the 1/8 finals , he was eliminated by Giorgi Gogshelidze in the quarterfinals . Ceban competed in the freestyle 97 kg event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro . He was defeated by Albert Saritov of Romania in the first elimination round . He was the flagbearer for Moldova during the Parade of Nations .
Wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 14 to 21 August at the Carioca Arena 2 in Barra da Tijuca . Wrestling had been split into two disciplines , freestyle and Greco-Roman , which were further divided into different weight categories . Men competed in both disciplines whereas women only participated in the freestyle events , with 18 gold medals awarded . Wrestling had been contested at every modern Summer Olympic Games , except Paris 1900 . Around 344 wrestlers competed in 18 events at the 2016 Summer Olympics . In September 2013 , a new change to the rules and guidelines of the sport had been instituted and overhauled by the International Olympic Committee and FILA ( now known as the United World Wrestling ) . A single Olympic weight class was removed each from the men 's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling to add two more weights for the women . Other changes in wrestling at these Games also featured a single-round tournament within a six-minute limit , instead of two-round or tiebreaker .
The 2014 Winter Olympics , officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XXIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) ( Russian : XXII Олимпийские зимние игры , tr . XXII Olimpiyskiye zimniye igry ) and commonly known as Sochi 2014 , was an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi , Krasnodar Krai , Russia , with opening rounds in certain events held on the eve of the opening ceremony , 6 February 2014 . Both the Olympics and 2014 Winter Paralympics were organized by the Sochi Organizing Committee ( SOOC ) . Sochi was selected as the host city in July 2007 , during the 119th IOC Session held in Guatemala City . It was the first Olympics to be held in a CIS state since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 . The Soviet Union was previously the host nation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow . These were the first Olympic Games under the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) presidency of Thomas Bach . A record 98 events in fifteen winter sport disciplines were held during the Games . A number of new competitions - a total of twelve accounting for gender - were held during the Games , including biathlon mixed relay , women 's ski jumping , mixed-team figure skating , mixed-team luge , half-pipe skiing , ski and snowboard slopestyle , and snowboard parallel slalom . The events were held around two clusters of new venues : an Olympic Park constructed in Sochi 's Imeretinsky Valley on the coast of the Black Sea , with Fisht Olympic Stadium , and the Games ' indoor venues located within walking distance , and snow events in the resort settlement of Krasnaya Polyana . The 2014 Winter Olympics were the most expensive Games in the history of the Olympics . While originally budgeted at US $ 12 billion , major cost overruns , caused this figure to expand to US $ 51 billion , more than three times the cost of the 2012 London Olympics and even surpassing the estimated $ 44 billion cost of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing .
Victor Pinzaru ( born February 11 , 1992 ) is a biathlete from Moldova . He competed for Moldova at the 2010 Winter Olympics . Pinzaru was Moldova 's flag bearer during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony .
Cross-country skiing at the 2014 Winter Olympics was held at the Laura Biathlon & Ski Complex near Krasnaya Polyana , Russia . The twelve events took place between 8-23 February 2014 .
The 2012 Summer Olympics , formally the Games of the XXX Olympiad and commonly known as London 2012 , was an international multi-sport event that was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London , United Kingdom . The first event , the group stage in women 's football , began on 25 July at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , followed by the opening ceremony on 27 July . 10,768 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees ( NOCs ) participated . Following a bid headed by former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe and then-Mayor of London Ken Livingstone , London was selected as the host city on 6 July 2005 during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore , defeating bids from Moscow , New York City , Madrid , and Paris . London became the first city to host the modern Olympics three times , having previously hosted the Summer Games in 1908 and in 1948 . Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment , with an emphasis on sustainability . The main focus was a new 200-hectare ( 490-acre ) Olympic Park , constructed on a former industrial site at Stratford , East London . The Games also made use of venues that already existed before the bid . The Games received general praise for their organisation , with the volunteers , the British military and public enthusiasm praised particularly highly . The opening ceremony , directed by Danny Boyle , received widespread acclaim throughout the world , particular praise from the British public and a minority of widely ranging criticisms from some social media sites . During the Games , Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time , winning his 22nd medal . Saudi Arabia , Qatar , and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time , so that every currently eligible country has sent a female competitor to at least one Olympic Games .
Dan Olaru ( born 11 November 1996 in Chişinău , Moldova ) is a Moldovan-Romanian archer . At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed for his country in the Men 's individual event .
The archery events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London were held over an eight-day period from 27 July to 3 August . Four events took place , all being staged at Lord 's Cricket Ground in front of temporary stands built to accommodate up to 6,500 spectators . South Korea was the most successful nation , topping the medal table with three golds and four medals in total .
The 2010 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XXIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) and commonly known as Vancouver 2010 , informally the 21st Winter Olympics , was an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 12 to 28 February 2010 in Vancouver , British Columbia , Canada , with some events held in the surrounding suburbs of Richmond , West Vancouver and the University Endowment Lands , and in the nearby resort town of Whistler . Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines . Both the Olympic and Paralympic Games were organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee ( VANOC ) , headed by John Furlong . The 2010 Winter Olympics were the third Olympics hosted by Canada and the first by the province of British Columbia . Canada hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal , Quebec , and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary , Alberta . Metro Vancouver is the largest metropolitan area to host the Winter Olympics , although Calgary is the largest city to host the Winter Olympics . They will both be surpassed by Beijing in 2022 . Following Olympic tradition , the incumbent mayor of Vancouver Sam Sullivan received the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin , Italy . The flag was raised on February 28 , 2006 , in a special ceremony and was on display at Vancouver City Hall until the Olympic opening ceremony . The event was officially opened by Governor General Michaëlle Jean , who was accompanied by the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge . For the first time , Canada won gold in an official sport at an Olympic Games hosted at home , having failed to do so at both the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary ( although Canada won the woman 's curling event in Calgary when it was still only a demonstration sport ) . Canada clinched their first gold medal on the second day of the competition and first topped the gold medal tally on the second to last day of competition and went on to become the first host nation since Norway in 1952 to lead the gold medal count .
The cross-country skiing competition of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver were held at Whistler Olympic Park . The events were held between 15 and 28 February 2010 .
The 2008 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad ( Chinese : 第二十九届夏季奥林匹克运动会 ; pinyin : Dì Èrshíjiǔ Jiè Xiàjì Àolínpǐkè Yùndònghuì ) and commonly known as Beijing 2008 , was an international multi-sport event that was held from 8 to 24 August 2008 in Beijing , China . [ b ] A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees ( NOCs ) competed in 28 sports and 302 events ( one event more than those scheduled for the 2004 Summer Olympics ) . This was the first time that China had hosted the Summer Olympics , but the third time that the Games had been held in East Asia , following the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo , Japan , and the Seoul 1988 Summer Olympics . These were the second summer Olympic Games staged in a Communist country , after the Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics and the third in a developing country after the Mexico City 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union and the first overall Olympics to be hosted by a Communist state since the former Yugoslavia hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo . Beijing was awarded the 2008 Games over four competitors on 13 July 2001 , having won a majority of votes from members of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) after two rounds of voting . The Government of the People 's Republic of China promoted the Games and invested heavily in new facilities and transport systems . A total of 37 venues were used to host the events , including twelve constructed specifically for the 2008 Olympics . The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong , making this the third Olympics for which the events were held under the jurisdiction of two different NOCs . [ c ] The sailing events were contested in Qingdao , while the football events took place across several different cities . The official logo for the 2008 Games , titled Dancing Beijing , featured a stylised calligraphic character jīng ( 京 , means capital ) in reference to the host city . The Beijing Olympics was watched by 3,500,000,000 people worldwide and featured the longest distance for an Olympic Torch relay . The event sets numerous world and Olympics records in the history of sports , and is also the most expensive Summer Olympics of all time and second-most expensive overall , after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi .
Nicolai Ceban ( Romanian , Nicolae Ceban ; Moldovan Cyrillic : Чебан , Николай ; born 30 March 1986 in Talmaza , Moldavia , Soviet Union ) is a Moldovan freestyle wrestler . At the 2008 Summer Olympics in the freestyle 96 kg event , he was knocked out in the first round by Gergely Kiss . He competed in the freestyle 96 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics ; after defeating Sinivie Boltic in the 1/8 finals , he was eliminated by Giorgi Gogshelidze in the quarterfinals . Ceban competed in the freestyle 97 kg event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro . He was defeated by Albert Saritov of Romania in the first elimination round . He was the flagbearer for Moldova during the Parade of Nations .
Wrestling competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , China , were held at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium from 12-21 August 2008 . It was split into two disciplines , Freestyle and Greco-Roman which are further divided into different weight categories . Men competed in both disciplines whereas women only took part in the freestyle events with 18 gold medals being awarded . This was the second Olympics with women 's wrestling as an event .
The 2006 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games ( Italian : XX Giochi olimpici invernali ) and commonly known as Turin 2006 or Torino 2006 , was a winter multi-sport event which was held in Turin , Piedmont , Italy from February 10 to 26 , 2006 . This marked the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Olympic Games , the first being the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo . Italy also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960 in Rome . Turin was selected as the host city for the 2006 Games in June 1999 . The official motto of the XX Olympic Winter Games was Passion lives here . The official logo depicts a stylized profile of the Mole Antonelliana building , drawn in white and blue ice crystals , signifying the snow and the sky . The crystal web was also meant to portray the web of new technologies and the Olympic spirit of community . The Olympic mascots of the Games were Neve ( snow in Italian ) , a female snowball , and Gliz , a male ice cube . Italy will host the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo 20 years after these games .
Natalia Levchenkova ( born in Smolensk on ( 1977-07-30 ) July 30 , 1977 ) is a Russian-born Moldovan biathlete . Levchenkova competed in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics for Moldova . Her best performance was 8th in the 2006 individual . In 2006 , she also finished 21st in the mass start , 41st in the sprint and 23rd in the pursuit . In 2010 , she also finished 53rd in the sprint , 56th in the pursuit and 37th in the individual . As of February 2013 , her best performance at the Biathlon World Championships is 8th , in the 2008 individual and the 2009 pursuit . As of February 2013 , Levchenkova 's best individual performance in Biathlon World Cup races is 7th , achieved twice in mass start races . Her best overall finish in the Biathlon World Cup is 20th , in 2008/09 .
Biathlon at the 2006 Winter Olympics consisted of ten biathlon events . They were held at the Cesana-San Sicario arena . The events began on 11 February and ended on 25 February 2006 . Approximately 6,500 spectators were expected by the organizing committee . In these games , biathlon events were open to both men and women but they raced in different distances in their own events . Men from 28 nations and women from 27 nations qualified to participate in the events . Only seven nations in total took home medals , Germany winning the most ( 5 gold , 4 silver , 2 bronze ) . Six biathletes won 3 medals each : Albina Akhatova , Kati Wilhelm , Martina Glagow , Michael Greis , Ole Einar Bjørndalen , and Sven Fischer . Greis won the most gold medals , with a total of three .
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( Greek : Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004 , Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 2004 ) , officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad and commonly known as Athens 2004 , was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens , Greece , from 13 to 29 August 2004 with the motto Welcome Home . The Games saw 10,625 athletes compete , some 600 more than expected , accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries . There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports . Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance . 2004 also marked the return of the Olympic Games to the city where they began . Having previously hosted the Olympics in 1896 , Athens became one of only four cities to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games on two separate occasions at the time ( together with Paris , London , and Los Angeles ) . A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games , replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since the 1928 Games . This rectified the long lasting mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue . The new design features the Panathenaic Stadium . The 2004 Summer Games were hailed as unforgettable , dream games by IOC President Jacques Rogge , and left Athens with a significantly improved infrastructure , including a new airport , ring road , and subway system . There have been arguments ( mostly in popular media ) regarding the cost of the 2004 Athens Summer Games and their possible contribution to the 2010-2018 Greek government-debt crisis , however , there is little or no evidence for such a correlation . The 2004 Olympics were generally deemed to be a success , with the rising standard of competition amongst nations across the world .
Oleg Moldovan ( born 27 October 1966 in Chişinău ) is a sport shooter from Moldova . He won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in the 10 m Running Target event . He was beaten by Yang Ling of China by 0.1 of a point . Moldovan was the Flagbearer for the Moldovan team at the 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony .
In shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics , 390 competitors from 106 nations contested 17 events ( 10 for men and 7 for women ) . The competition took place at the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre , located in the east of the Greek region of Attica .
The 2002 Winter Olympics , officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 , was a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 8 to 24 February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City , Utah , United States . 2,399 athletes from 78 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines , held throughout 165 sporting sessions . The 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Paralympic Games were both organized by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee ( SLOC ) , the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history that both events were organized by a single committee . Utah became the fifth state in the United States to host the Olympic Games , after Missouri , New York , California , and Georgia . These were the first Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Jacques Rogge . The opening ceremony was held on February 8 , 2002 , and sporting competitions were held up until the closing ceremony on February 24 , 2002 . Production for both ceremonies was designed by Seven Nielsen , and music for both ceremonies was directed by Mark Watters . Salt Lake City became the most populous area ever to have hosted the Winter Olympics , although the two subsequent host cities ' populations were larger . Following a trend , the 2002 Olympic Winter Games were also larger than all prior Winter Games , with 10 more events than the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano , Japan . Norway won the most gold medals while Germany won the most number of medals . The Salt Lake Games faced a bribery scandal and some local opposition during the bid . Nevertheless , from sporting and business standpoints , this was one of the most successful Winter Olympiads in history ; records were set in both the broadcasting and marketing programs .
Ion Bucsa ( born 28 February 1968 ) is a Moldovan biathlete . He competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Winter Olympics .
The cross-country skiing events at the 2002 Winter Olympics were marred by drug problems . The winners of three races were disqualified after blood tests showed that three skiers had overly high red blood cell counts indicating the use of darbepoetin , a drug used to treat anemia . At the time , the drug was not specifically listed in the International Olympic Committee 's ( IOC ) list of banned substances , but the Olympic rules generally prohibit doping of any kind , in accordance with its charter . After two years and several lawsuits in Olympic and Swiss courts , the skiers in question ( Johann Mühlegg of Spain , and Larissa Lazutina and Olga Danilova of Russia ) were stripped of all their medals from the 2002 Games . See the external links below for the official IOC press releases containing detailed information of the doping cases and their resolution , including initial , intermediate , and final amended results . This article gives the final medalists as decided on by the IOC in early 2004 .
The 2000 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and commonly known as Sydney 2000 or the Millennium Olympic Games/Games of the New Millennium , was an international multi-sport event held between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . It was the second time the Summer Olympics were held in Australia , and also the Southern Hemisphere , the first being in Melbourne , Victoria , in 1956 .
Vadim Vacarciuc ( born October 1 , 1972 in Răuțel , Făleşti ) is a retired male weightlifter from Moldova . He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics for his native Eastern European country , starting in 1996 . Vacarciuc is best known for winning the silver medal in the men 's light-heavyweight division ( - 94 kg ) at the 2000 European Weightlifting Championships in Sofia , Bulgaria . He twice carried the flag for Moldova at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics : in 1996 and 2000 .
The Weightlifting Competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney , Australia saw the introduction of women 's weightlifting .
The 1998 Winter Olympics , officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XVIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) ( Japanese : 第十八回オリンピック冬季競技大会 , Dai Jūhachi-kai Orinpikku Tōkikyōgi Taikai ) , and commonly known as Nagano 1998 , was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 that were centered in Nagano , Japan . The Games also took place in the nearby mountain communities of Hakuba , Karuizawa , Nozawa Onsen , and Yamanouuchi . The city of Nagano had previously been a candidate to host the 1940 Winter Olympics ( which were later cancelled ) , as well as the 1972 Winter Olympics , but each time Nagano was eliminated at the national level by Sapporo . The games hosted 2,176 athletes from 72 nations competing in 7 sports and 68 events . The number of athletes and participating nations were a record at the time . The Games saw the introduction of women 's ice hockey , curling and snowboarding . National Hockey League players were allowed to participate in the men 's ice hockey for the first time . Five countries , Azerbaijan , Kenya , Macedonia , Uruguay , and Venezuela made their debut at the Winter Olympics . The athlete who won the most medals at these games was the Russian cross-country skier Larisa Lazutina who won five medals , including three gold . The Norwegian cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie won four medals , including three gold , which took his total Olympic medal total to 12 , including eight gold , which is a record for Winter Olympics . In ice hockey , professionals from the North American National Hockey League participated for the first time . Despite their participation , the Czech men 's ice hockey team won the gold medal .
Biathlon at the 1998 Winter Olympics consisted of six biathlon events . They were held at Nozawa Onsen . The events began on 9 February and ended on 21 February 1998 .
The 1996 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad , commonly known as Atlanta 1996 , and also referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event that was held from July 19 to August 4 , 1996 , in Atlanta , Georgia , U.S . These Games , which were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States , marked the centennial of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens - the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games . They were also the first since 1924 to be held in a different year from a Winter Olympics , under a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating , even-numbered years . More than 10,000 athletes from 197 National Olympic Committees competed in 26 sports , including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball , mountain biking , and softball , as well as the new disciplines of lightweight rowing and women 's football ( soccer ) . 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debut in Atlanta , including eleven former Soviet republics participating for the first time as independent nations . The hosting United States led the medal count with a total of 101 medals , and the most gold ( 44 ) and silver ( 32 ) medals out of all countries . The U.S. topped the medal count for the first time since 1984 , and for the first time since 1968 in a non-boycotted Summer Olympics . Notable performances during competition included those of Andre Agassi - who became the first men 's singles tennis player to combine a career Grand Slam with an Olympic gold medal , Donovan Bailey - who set a new world record of 9.84 for the men 's 100 meters , and Lilia Podkopayeva - who became the second gymnast to win an individual event gold after winning the all-round title in the same Olympics . The festivities were marred by violence on July 27 , when Eric Rudolph detonated pipe bombs at Centennial Olympic Park - a downtown park that was built to serve as a public focal point for the Games ' festivities , killing 1 and injuring 111 . In 2003 , Rudolph confessed to the bombing and a series of related attacks on abortion centers and a gay bar , and was sentenced to life in prison . He claimed that the bombing was meant to protest the U.S. government 's sanctioning of abortion on demand . The Games turned a profit , helped by record revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights , and reliance on private funding ( as opposed to the extensive public funding used on later Olympics ) , among other factors .
The weightlifting competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta consisted of ten weight classes .
The 1994 Winter Olympics ( Norwegian : Olympiske vinterleker 1994 ) , officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games , was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer , Norway . Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event , losing to Albertville . Lillehammer was awarded the 1994 Winter Olympics in 1988 , after beating Anchorage , United States ; Östersund , Sweden ; and Sofia , Bulgaria . Lillehammer is the northernmost city to ever host the Winter Games and the Olympic Games overall . The Games were the first to be held in a different year from the Summer Olympics , the first and only one to be held two years after the previous winter games . The Games were the second Winter Olympics hosted in Norway , after the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo , and the fourth Olympics in the Nordic countries , after the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm , Sweden , and the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki , Finland . Although many events took place in Lillehammer , skating took place in Hamar , some ice hockey matches were placed in Gjøvik , while Alpine skiing was held in Øyer and Ringebu . Sixty-seven countries and 1,737 athletes participated in six sports and sixty-one events . Fourteen countries made their debut in the Winter Olympics , of which nine were former Soviet republics . The Games also saw the introduction of stricter qualifying rules , reducing the number of under-performing participants from warm-weather countries . New events were two new distances in short track speed skating and aerials , while speed skating was moved indoors . Nearly two million people spectated the games , which were the first to have the Olympic truce in effect .
Vasily Gherghy ( born 3 January 1974 ) is a Moldovan biathlete . He competed in the men 's 20 km individual event at the 1994 Winter Olympics .
The biathlon competition at the 1994 Winter Olympics were held at the Birkebeineren Ski Stadium . The events were held between 18 and 26 February 1994 . The sport of biathlon combines the skills of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting . Men and women competed in three events . The biathlon program remained unchanged except for the women 's relay distance from 3 x 7.5 km to 4 x 7.5 km .