The Bulgarian Athletics Federation and the Association of Bulgarian Sports Federations have opposed the proposal for Sofia Municipality to allocate up to €9.6 million to host three international skateboarding competitions. The project is due to be considered by the Sofia Municipal Council on November 5.
The proposal was submitted by Mayor Vasil Terziev, Sofia Municipal Council Chairman Tsvetomir Petrov and municipal councillor Dimitar Petrov. It envisages Sofia bidding to host two Olympic skateboarding qualifiers in 2027 and 2028, as well as a World Cup event in 2029.
According to BFLA President Georgi Pavlov, the sum is intended to cover the hosting rights, while infrastructure and organisational costs are not included. He said he was not opposed to the development of skateboarding, but insisted that municipal funds should be allocated according to clear priorities.
“When we talk about public funds, we must also talk about priorities,” Georgi Pavlov said.
Pavlov noted that around 25 athletics clubs operate in Sofia, with nearly 2,500 children training in them. In his view, an investment of €9.6 million could be used to build four new athletics tracks in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.
The BFLA president also pointed to the possibility of providing greater support for the Sofia Marathon. According to him, around €50,000 would be needed to turn it into a World Athletics Gold Label event.
As another example, Pavlov cited Bulgaria’s hosting of the 2026 European Men’s Volleyball Championship, for which Sofia Municipality provided BGN 500,000. He called for an assessment of the lasting benefit left by each international competition and of how many Bulgarian athletes and children would be able to benefit from it.
The Association of Bulgarian Sports Federations also described the proposal as controversial, saying that it demonstrated a lack of clear sports priorities and strategy in the management of public funds.
The organisation believes that the money could be directed towards a long-term municipal mechanism to finance the rental costs of school sports halls, as well as towards hosting major competitions in athletics, basketball, volleyball, taekwondo, rhythmic gymnastics and skiing.
“The most valuable investment is investment in children,” the ABSF said.
In their position, the federations also raised the issue of the costs that clubs in Sofia expect to incur for sports facilities. According to the ABSF, clubs face the prospect of an almost fourfold increase in these costs. The final decision on the proposal is yet to be made by the Sofia Municipal Council.