Mariya Gabriel: The talent of Bulgarian athletes is strength and inspiration
28 February 2024 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel inaugurated the largest climbing gym in the Balkans — the multifunctional climbing gym and training centre Balkan.
The opening was attended by the coach of the national climbing team Ivaylo Radkov, assistant coach Georgi Penev, the Chair of the Board of Glavbolgarstroy Holding Kalin Peshov and the Executive Director of the Fund for Sustainable Urban Development Nadya Dankinova. Among the guests was the famous Bulgarian mountaineer Nikolay Petkov — the first and only mountaineer to have climbed all three edges of Everest.
‘Sport gives you the will to become a champion, to give your best. Sport is a force for results and knows no boundaries the human spirit and body. Today we are opening a world-class facility. The Balkan Climbing and Training Centre is a unique climbing gym — modern and innovative, a great place for sports and competition training. In this new training centre the talented athletes of Bulgaria can develop their skills and bring even higher achievements for our country,’ Mariya Gabriel said.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the opportunities provided by the sports strand of the Erasmus+ programme. She highlighted the importance of cooperation between sports organisations at local and national level, partnerships with international federations, exchange of good practices and mobility opportunities offered by the European programmes.
‘Talent is given to inspire and support others around you. Gain experience, perseverance and strength and show that with and for sport there are no limits. Have a vision, find solutions to the challenges you face and show what you are capable of. Keep the spirit of adventure throughout your life’, Mariya Gabriel concluded.
The multi-purpose Balkan climbing gym and training center has over 3000 square meters of climbing area, an indoor and outdoor climbing wall and over 300 routes. After the official part a demonstration of the equipment was made by Boris Penov, Kancho Dolapchiev, Nikolay Petkov, Alexandra Totkova, Nikolay Rusev, Ivo Ninov, Yordan Yovchev and Stoyka Krasteva.
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