site.btaBulgarian Olympic Committee Celebrates Its Centenary
The Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) celebrated the 100th anniversary of its establishment at a ceremony in Sofia on Wednesday.
The event was attended by some 400 Bulgarian Olympic medallists, renowned coaches, sport leaders, public figures, politicians, artists and journalists. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach were among the official guests.
Youth and Sports Minister Vessela Letcheva said in a greetings address: "Bulgaria was among the 14 countries which participated in the first [modern] Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. It was not a coincidence that Bulgarians sat on the IOC even before the BOC existed officially. Generations of eminent Bulgarian athletes, coaches and experts have spent much effort, energy, talent and emotion to promote the timeless values of the Olympic movement in Bulgaria, such as sportsmanship, supportiveness, tolerance and mutual understanding."
Letcheva further noted: "Today, in a time of crisis and war, we realize more clearly than ever before how important the Olympic values are." She expressed appreciation of IOC President Bach's role in keeping war out of sport and preventing it from ruining the Olympic ideals. "A tough mission, but I think, a visionary's mission," the minister added.
She thanked the BOC and its President Stefka Kostadinova for their contribution to building the prestige of Bulgarian sport. "I believe that we will continue to defend the Olympic principles with unwavering dedication, and they will stand as a major pillar for the prosperity of our nation," Letcheva said.
Taking a question from the media about the possibility for Bulgaria to host Olympic youth winter games, which was discussed between Radev and Bach earlier in the day, Letcheva said: "This is the plan".
/LG/
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