More than 312 sports events are planned for Sofia in 2024, said Mayor Yordanka Fandakova during a press conference presenting the sports calendar of Sofia as the "World Capital of Sport" for 2024.
Among the participants in the briefing, which took place in the Sofia Municipality building, were the chairman of the Sofia Municipal Council and chairman of the Sofia - European Capital of Sport foundation Georgi Georgiev, as well as part of the team from the Sofia - European Capital of Sport foundation.
Participants in the press conference highlighted three main priorities for Sofia in terms of sport: more opportunities for sport for all, strengthening the social role of the initiative, and rehabilitation of tourist and sports infrastructure on Vitosha Mountain.
"Olympic days" are to be organised in schools to prepare children for the upcoming Olympic year, Fandakova said. The capital will also host the fifth "World Meeting of Sport", said Damyan Dikov, executive director of the Sofia - European Capital of Sport foundation. He added that the mountain is and will continue to be a priority. Together with Sofia Municipality, the foundation has restored and built a lot of sports grounds, football fields, tennis tables and more, Dikov said.
The chairman of the Sofia Municipal Council Georgi Georgiev said that people need to see success. "We have secured funding despite the budget problems. The investments related to children with developmental problems are over BGN 200,000," he explained. He said municipal sports halls and facilities with free access for children with special needs are open. "We provide and fund the running of activities related to children. At five council sites we have negotiated 200 hours free access per week for children with special needs. Our priority is also the creation of coaching schools, Georgiev added.
In 2018, Sofia became the European Capital of Sport, after which it was declared the permanent European Capital of Sport, which was later implemented as a foundation.
For the last five years, from 2018 to 2022, the municipality and the foundation have held more than 1,380 sporting events, in which more than 4,400,000 people have participated, Fandakova said. She explained that more than 500 events with more than 3,200,000 participants were held within the five-year period.
/YV/
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