site.btaFirst Wrestling Tournament Among Bulgarians in Taraclia

The first International Free Wrestling Tournament among Bulgarians took place in the Bessarabian city of Taraclia over the weekend. The sports event was dedicated to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and was organized on the initiative of two friends from Taraclia - Pavel Popov and Pavel Karamalak.

"I love wrestling very much, but I did not manage to become a great athlete", Popov said, stressing that with this tournament he wanted to show "that we Bulgarians are a very friendly people and together we can do anything". He added that nothing material will be left behind, only good deeds. "We are doing it for our children," Popov said. He expressed his hope that the tournament will become traditional and will gather wrestlers not only from Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine, but also from all over the world. "I thank the many sponsors of the tournament, the district and city authorities who helped us with the prizes and the organization," Popov said.

The tournament participants and the organizers were welcomed by the deputy chairman of the Taraclia region Alexander Borimechkov and the Bulgarian consul in Taraclia Lyubomir Dimov. Father Vladimir, a chaplain at the local church St. George, blessed the young wrestlers. The chief referee of the tournament was the Bulgarian wrestler, Olympic medalist and world champion Radoslav Velikov. Athletes from Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo accompanied him and represented "Sports Wrestling Club Simeon Shterev-Levski" and "Tsarevets-Eter 93".

Bulgarians in Moldova celebrate the Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul as per the old calendar - on July 12.