Kyustendil is preparing for a significant event in the city's sports life. On October 17, Saturday, at 6:00 p.m., the officially opened modernized Osogovo stadium will be held. The organizers plan for the celebration to last the entire day, with the program offering various sports events, presentations of young football talents and demonstration matches with the participation of emblematic names from Bulgarian football.
The Mayor of Kyustendil Municipality, Eng. Ognyan Atanasov, invited the city's residents and all guests to become part of the celebration. Visitors will be provided with entrances from the streets of Yuri Gagarin and and “St. Mina“, from where they will be able to reach the sports complex and join in the festive events.
The program will begin at 1:00 p.m. with a large-scale athletics competition. It is expected that more than 200 children will participate, who will have the opportunity to show their skills at the renovated sports facility.
At 5:30 p.m., attention will be focused on the children's and youth school of FC “Kyustendil“. All age groups of the club will be presented at the stadium, which are an important part of the development of football in the region and the preparation of future competitors.
The culmination of the day will occur at 6:00 p.m. with the official opening ceremony of the renovated “Osogovo“. After it, the audience will have the opportunity to watch friendly football matches between the veterans of Kyustendil, Marek and CSKA. An invitation to participate was also extended to the former Levski football players, but their busy schedule and the series of matches will not allow them to join the event.
The celebration will also bring together a number of famous personalities from Bulgarian sports. Among the special guests will be football legends Krasimir Balakov and Emil Kostadinov, as well as former players of Kyustendil teams who participated in the elite “A“ football group. Among the invitees are also the President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, Vessela Lecheva, Petar Stoyanov, who heads the parliamentary committee on children, youth and sports, as well as representatives of the management of the Bulgarian Football Union and the Bulgarian Athletics Federation.
Mayor Ognyan Atanasov described the opening as a special moment for Kyustendil and expressed confidence that the renovated stadium will become a leading sports center for Southwestern Bulgaria. He called on the citizens to attend the celebration and together celebrate the completion of an important stage in the development of the local sports infrastructure.
According to the mayor, the first two stages of the reconstruction of the “Osogovo“ stadium have already been fully completed. The activities carried out include major improvements that will provide better conditions for both athletes and spectators.
Among the implemented projects are the construction of a new fence around the entire sports complex, the laying of a new grass surface on the football field and the installation of new seats for the audience. Modern lighting has also been installed, which meets the requirements for holding professional football matches.
Serious attention has also been paid to athletics. A new track with eight main corridors and an additional warm-up corridor has been built at the stadium. Thus, the facility will be able to host competitions and training under modern conditions.
A combined auxiliary field designed for hammer, discus and shot put has been added to the renovated infrastructure. In addition to athletics, the field will also be used for training activities for children from the football school, which creates additional opportunities for the development of young athletes.
So far, the funds invested in the modernization amount to approximately 3.5 million euros including VAT. The third stage of the project, worth 8.5 million euros, is about to begin.
With the renovation of “Osogovo“ Kyustendil is taking an important step towards creating a better sports environment and attracting more competitions and events. The official opening on October 17 will be not only an occasion for celebration, but also an opportunity to show the results of the efforts invested in the modernization of one of the key sports complexes in the region.