The Olympics in Sofia, Borovets and Bansko

THE OLYMPICS IN SOFIA, BOROVETS AND BANSKO!

24.06.05,24 Chasa, Viktor Ivanov; George Banov

The Olympics in Sofia, Borovets and Bansko!
24.06.05, 24 Chasa

Indigo will become an Olympic stadium, IOC and EU will invest 4 milliard euro if Bulgaria wins the right to host the Olympics

Sofia, Borovets and Bansko will look like three Olympic sites if we succeed to persuade the world, that Bulgaria can host the largest sport event in 2014.

The government officially announced the Bulgarian candidature which was initiated by the Minister of Sports Vasil Ivanov- Lucciano.

Other two candidates for the Olympics are Salzburg Austria and Pyeongchang, Sought Korea. The head of IOC sent a letter to Bulgaria, asking the authorities to hurry up with the candidature, because of lack of candidates.
The Bulgarian Olympic Committee has to present Sofia’s candidature till July 28. The letter will be signed by the mayor of Sofia Stefan Sofianski, because the capital will be the host of the event. Borovets and Bansko are also going to host competitions if Bulgaria wins.
650 thousand euro is provided by the ministry of sports to support Sofia’s candidature. 150 thousand dollars will be the fee for IOC’s consideration of Bulgaria’s candidature.
$500 thousand have to be provides as a guarantee and will be returned if Bulgaria looses the competition for the winter Olympics. The money has to be introduced until august this year.
The final decision will become clear in 2007.
The Olympic Games will most probably take place from 10th till 26th February 2014. The now existing disco club Indigo will be replaced by an Olympic Stadium “Unak”.
Three new press centers and 14 sport sites will have to be constructed for the event. This is absolutely obligatory according to IOC’s requirements.
1,5 million people from foreign countries, 2500 sportsmen, 10 thousand official guests, 10 thousand journalists will visit our capital if Bulgaria wins the competition.
In addition to all that Bulgaria will also host the winter Paralympics in March 2014 which will bring more visitors and sportsmen.
84 titles and 246 medals for 15 winter sports are going to be presented on those Olympics.
Sofia has a good chance to win the competition especially after the persistent urge of the head of IOC Jacques Roch, announced Vasil Ivanov.
According Lucciano the only thing that has to be ready till 2007 is the new airport in Sofia and the highway from Sofia to Kulata with a branch to Bansko.
“A lot of sponsors including the Bulgarian Sport Toto will help with the financing of the initiative” explained Lucciano. 20 000 volunteers are also going to take part in the preparation of the event.
Student hostels, new transport and streets will be left behind after the event. The minister guarantees that the Olympic projects will not have a negative impact on the mountains and the ecology of Sofia.
The Olympic Committee was worried about the lack of candidates and sent an official invitation letter asking for the Bulgarian candidature. The decision of the government coincided with the international Olympic day. Students from the NSA made a relay- race and symbolically passed the Olympic fire to Stefka Kostadinova in front of the Ministry of Sports.
Bulgaria has five medals from winter Olympics in its history.
The most expensive equipment are bobsleigh pistes, skeletons and lunges, they will cost more than 20 million euro. At the moment there is not a single platform, after the artificial one on Chernia Kos was destroyed. If Bulgaria wins the election Cherni Kos will most probably host a real one.
The decision will be made in 2007. 4 milliard euro will be invested in Sofia from the European Union and IOC, announced the sport director of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee Pavel Shtarbanov. After the event there will be a clear profit of more than 1 milliard euro.

BANSKO