Bulgaria to host two European championships

Bulgarian Federation for Adapted Physical Activity President Slav Petkov said here Tuesday that Bulgaria will host two major European championships for athletes with intellectual disabilities in 2027 – the European Indoor Athletics Championships and the European Swimming Championships.

Earlier in the day, President Iliana Iotova presented the President's Honorary Plaque to the Bulgarian athletes who competed at the World Championships for Athletes with Down Syndrome, held in Sofia in June, CE Report quotes BTA.

"I am proud of our athletes and their performance, proud of the coaches, and above all proud of the Bulgarian institutions because we showed the world that these people exist and that we accept them as equal citizens of Bulgaria. The formula for success is hard work and faith in what we do. Just as I believed many years ago, our coaches also believe in what they are doing and achieving, and the results are evident. In a very short period of time, since 2021, we have joined the world's elite in sport for people with intellectual disabilities and are already among the top three in almost every sport we have taken up. Hopefully, we will also make a breakthrough in winter sports. There is a chance," Petkov said after the ceremony at the Presidency.

The European Indoor Athletics Championships will be held at Asics Arena in Sofia, while the venue for the European Swimming Championships has yet to be decided.

"As early as March, we will host the European Indoor Athletics Championships, and we currently have a proposal to organize the European Swimming Championships at the end of next year, dedicated exclusively to athletes with Down syndrome. The athletics championships will also include athletes with autism, intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome, making it a major event where qualification standards for the Paralympic Games will be achieved. We proved ourselves to be excellent hosts, and the international federations now have confidence in us. This will allow us to further expand elite sport for people with intellectual disabilities," Petkov said.

Photo: Chat GPT