Bulgaria's successes in recent years in volleyball, tennis, boxing, bars, rhythmic gymnastics, motor racing, etc. are a reflection of one fundamental fact: the general prosperity of the country. Five important conclusions.
The silver medals of the volleyball men's team are a great joy for all Bulgarians and an occasion to receive congratulations from enthusiastic friends from all over the world. And this does not happen very often, alas. Now is the time to experience the joy, and the analysis of the events and their public perception can be left for later.
Successes do not come by chance right now
And yet - the first thing that must be said almost immediately is that the current sports success is not the result of chance, and in a much deeper sense. This is not just about the talent of the young players, the wonderful work of the coach and the federation, which all sports observers have repeatedly noted. The successes of recent years in volleyball, tennis, boxing, bars, rhythmic gymnastics, motor racing, etc., etc. are a reflection of a fundamental (according to Marx) fact: the general prosperity of Bulgaria and Central Europe as a whole. It is no coincidence that in the semifinals of the championship in Manila we were together with Poland and the Czech Republic. True, this did not help much against Italy, but it is indicative in a more general sense.
Marx, of course, reduced the explanations of social phenomena to narrow economic relations, and things are much more complicated. They are based on the freedom to choose who to become, how to realize your resources, what to do with your life. Yes, the state is necessary to create the necessary environment and educational level, but the freedom of citizens to develop is also crucial. Totalitarian regimes often turn sport into their propaganda showcase. But most lasting and real results come when public support is combined with guarantees of personal freedom and choice.
So the combination of public support and personal freedom is the real explanation for the current successes of both Bulgarians and Central Europeans in general. It is no coincidence that our football generation of 1994 was exactly the one that received both solid support from the state, but also the freedom to develop in the best teams in Europe and the world. If nothing happens, Bulgaria is now in exactly such a position to have both sufficient resources and free people who can achieve high goals.
Personal freedom and tolerance
The second important thing is the joy of unity, associated with the sporting successes of the national team. Bulgarians, it must be said, are a fairly close-knit people who have a high opinion of themselves. That is why we are pleased when others praise us (there are hardly any peoples who do not). At the same time, many have noted that it would be good to show such national unity on all issues. This is exactly what should not be overdone, however. The freedom that was mentioned above requires that society have different opinions and tolerance for them. Although the motto of the parliament is "Unity is strength", the role of the parliament is to give representation to social differences through a party system. The parliament should not become a stadium that shouts for one party, as for the national team.
The 1936 Olympics in Berlin was a similar event, which, as is known, ended tragically for the Germans. And it was not until 1954, when they surprisingly became football champions at the expense of the far superior Hungarian team, that the Germans again got the opportunity (far more modestly) to express their pride as a nation. The 1954 final is still remembered as the "Miracle of Bern" and is a symbol of the restoration of Adenauer's Germany after the war.
Sportsmanship and respect for the opponent
The third extremely important thing that successes at the highest sporting level teach is sportsmanship and respect for the opponent. Wonderful athletes like Grigor Dimitrov are a model for this value. Sportsmanship is competitiveness that does not develop into vulgarity and hatred for the opponent and this is one of the most important things that sport can teach.
Our volleyball national team is also an indisputable example of sportsmanship. (Unlike some correspondents and commentators of mainstream media who wondered on air why the Filipinos chose a Pole and not a Bulgarian for the championship commercials. Or they made remarks about the “education“ of the Italians and Poles who did not come to the awards ceremony wrapped in their national flags. These are trifles, but sportsmanship is very often in the details.
Unity, but without patriotism
The fourth important thing is that the joy of the unity of the Bulgarians should not be reduced to their opposition to Europe and the world in general. As a wonderful song once sang, "We are the world, we are the children of the world". Our joy is possible because there are other wonderful teams with whom we are in fair competition. The world, as a whole, is not a hostile place that wonders how to screw up the Bulgarians and in which they succeed only by rubbing each other's noses with shouts of "Bulgar, Bulgarian". Salvation may not be lurking everywhere, but in fact we have many friends and allies in the world who perceive us as free and equal people. It even turned out that we have sympathizers in the Philippines!
Unfortunately, there are also such “patriots“ for whom Bulgaria must be a lonely, sullen hero on a horse and especially not in an alliance with the West and Europe. In Moldova, these “patriots“ have apparently grown so much that they almost won against the “pro-European“ forces in the parliamentary elections on Sunday. In Moldova, Romania, and in our country, exactly such patriots are usually in favor of an alliance with Russia in one form or another. However, it is one thing to compete in European leagues in football, volleyball and other sports, it is another to go to departmental Spartakiads and wonder whether the Soviet comrades will allow you to win the match. It's the same with politics.
Clientelistic structures in Bulgarian sports
Finally, something that is not entirely pleasant. Our sporting successes have their disciplinary exceptions - football, for example. Over the past twenty years, we have had nothing to boast about in this regard. It may be the result of some bad luck, but it is still strange why, despite the country's prosperity, there is no positive effect on the most popular sport. This issue should be carefully examined, but at least at first glance there is a connection between the "mutrization" or the penetration of clientelistic structures from the conquered country into football teams and the governing bodies of this sport. As in other places, this leads to inefficiency.
Success intoxicates and gives self-confidence. It also includes and unites. The successes of the football players since 1994 have created their own mythology, which is still alive today. The “Miracle of Manila“ will most likely be an event of a similar nature. Unless this young team soon becomes world champion, of course, which will embellish the narrative even more. Either way, the Bulgarians are already dreaming of championship titles.
This comment expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the positions of the Bulgarian editorial office and DV as a whole.