Sofia 2014, Applicant City

Sofia 2014, Applicant City

BulgariaSki Team

Sofia Candidature for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games Fully Supported by BulgariaSki Team The 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Paralympics would be a historic event, that will not only have a global remarkable impact on sports life, but also will stimulate the economic and social development of the country, where it will be held at. That is why hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sofia is a priority thing we should pay attention to and of course, truly support this initiative. It would, no doubt have a very positive impact on Bulgarian sport and tourism and will play an important role in building up strong sports traditions in Bulgaria. We should keep our fingers crossed and proudly present our winter resorts- Vitosha, Bansko and Borovets so that Bulgaria becomes a winter sports centre on the Balkans, offering a wide range of opportunities for winter sports at a high level. Short Info on 2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially known as XXІІ Olympic Winter Games are an international winter sports athletic event, which is to be organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC has already received the applications of seven cities to bid for the honour of hosting the great event. The countries, that are going to compete with Bulgaria's 2014 bid are Spain, Austria, Russia, South Korea, Georgia and Kazakhstan. On June 22 2006, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee will meet to shorten the list of the candidates to several candidate cities. The elected host city will be announced on July, 7 2007 during the 119th International Olympic Committee Session. Short Info on Bulgaria at the Winter Olympic Games Bulgaria's first appearance at Winter Olympic Games took place in 1936, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with a seven-strong team in alpine and cross- country skiing. The first Olympic medal belongs to Ivan Lebanov, who came out third in the 30-km cross- country in Lake Placid. Bulgaria's triumph came in Nagano: Olympic title for Ekaterina Dafovska- biathlon, and fourth place for Pavlina Filipova- biathlon. At the Salt Lake City Winter Games in 2002 Bulgaria set new record: 3 medals- silver and bronze for Evgenia Radanova- short track and bronze for Irina Nikulchina- biathlon. Sofia'S Candidature BULGARIASKI team stand firmly for Sofia candidature for the 2014 Olympics and will support the initiative of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee to the end. The idea of Sofia hosting the Winter Olympics has a history of almost 30 years. The city bid for 2014 Olympic Games gained significant political support within the country and was sent in its application early on April 17, 2004. The concept of Sofia 2014 and all supportive paperwork was submitted to the International Olympic Committee in January, 2006. The Sofia Organization Committee selected “Olympic Heights” as the motto for the Sofia 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. January, 18, 2006 the Bulgarian Olympic Committee accepted the “Sofia 2014” logo. Its graphics represent three symbols: a traditional Bulgarian embroidery motif, a stylized snowflake shape and the three peaks- Vitosha, Pirin and Rila. In the nearest future the country hopes to bring attention to its candidature through excellent performances at 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Concept for Sofia 2014 The proposed dates of the Olympic Winter Games Sofia 2014 are 10(Monday)- 26(Wednesday) February 2014. The Olympics are planned to take place on three main centres: Sofia itself, Borovets and Bansko. Sofia would host the ice events and bob-sleigh/luge in nearby Vitosha natural park. The Vassil Levski National Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies. The National Winter Palace will host figure skating, short-track and speed skating. Ice hockey events will also be held at the National Winter Palace sports centre. The ambitious Super Borovets expansion project is a further signal of Bulgaria's investment infrastructure. Borovets would host cross country skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboard. Borovets has unique network of ski slopes and tracks for cross-country skiing and biathlon. The worldwide famous Bansko resort is also close to Sofia. Bansko will host the biathlon and alpine skiing events. A new gondola, as well as a number of new ski lifts are planned in the resort. The already existing accommodation base has a good capacity to accept the Olympic Family and the tourists of the Olympics. The guests in Sofia will be accommodated in the existing five, four and three- star hotels in the centre of the city. There are also a plenty of rooms in smaller hotels and apartment houses in Borovets and Bansko. Together with the planned development of Super Borovets, additional modern hotels and holiday villages will be built with the corresponding infrastructure. Sofia has a well developed internal transport network. A new terminal at Sofia International Airport and an expansion of the underground transportation are going to be completed. Additional 20 km of road lines will connect the western parts of Sofia and the Airport. Lyulin, Trakia and Struma highways will to be expanded. The Olympic Villages: Sofia: Sofia is the capital city, as well as the biggest city in Bulgaria. It is situated at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, at 550 m above the sea level. The main Olympic village will be located in the south-eastern part of Sofia, within the city boundaries. It will be situated to ensure easy access to the Sofia International airport, Olympic sports sites and routes connecting with the other two Olympic centres. The territory, selected for the main Olympic village is close to Vitosha Mountain. The location has the advantage of being very close to the mountain slopes, where the bob-sleigh and skeleton facilities will be constructed, only 15 minutes drive from Sofia Airport. The International Media Centre of the Olympics will be situated in the National Palace of Culture with 8000 seats and nine conference halls just in the centre of the city. The centre of Sofia offers perfect evening entertainment- in the historical centre of the city, at Medals Plaza or at the many bars, cafes and restaurants as well as theatres and other night-life typical of a capital city. Borovets: Borovets is part of the municipality of Samokov. Spread out along the northern slopes of Moussala Ridge of Eastern Rila, Borovets altitude towards sea level is from 1230 to 1390 m There are three ski centres in Borovets ski resort: Central Borovets ski center– starting from 1337 m altitude up to 1780 m Yastrebetz ski center– from 1340 m up to 2369 m Markudjik ski center– from 2340 m up to 2550 m The Borovets resort offers excellent conditions for winter sports: alpine skiing, cross country, and snowboarding. There are 58 km of marked ski runs for alpine skiing. The cross country trails are 35 km long, designed according to the requirements of the International Ski Federation, at minimum width of 6 metres Biathlon facilities - in 1993 Borovets hosted the World Biathlon Championship. Ski jumping can be practised in Central Borovets ski center. The Municipality's Master plan, adopted in 2005 plans the extension of the main track to an altitude of 1370 metres. Within the Master Plan there are areas located for snowboarding events. Three slopes are selected of the ski slopes for Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross. The capacity of the lifts in Borovets is currently able to service over 15 000 persons per hour. Bansko: The town of Bansko is situated at the foothills of the beautiful Pirin Mountain, which is a national preserve, included in the world natural heritage list. Today Bansko is the biggest, first-class mountain resort in Bulgaria. It has the best snow record and the longest ski season (15 Dec - 15 May) of all Bulgarian ski resorts. All ski slopes are in a wooded area, which protects from the strong winds and allows constant temperature for the snow cover. All slopes have been approved by the International Ski Federation as suitable for competition. The ski pistes are located in two main ski - centres- CHALIN VALOG (1100-1600m) and SHILIGARNIKA (1700-2500m). They are approximately 10 kilometres above the town on the northern slopes of Pirin. There are over 15 km of new lifts including a gondola, which can service over 7 500 persons per hour. A new gondola lift with a capacity of 3 000 persons per hour is planned, as well as a number of new ski lifts. What are the Advantages: 1. The first and the main advantage, that should be taken into consideration is that Sofia is a capital city. It is actually the only capital that is a candidate for 2014 Olympic Games. 2. A stable privilege is the entry of Bulgaria in the European Union. Once the country becomes a member of the union, a steady economic growth is expected. 3. The Olympic centres of the winter resorts are situated in Natural Parks, which are environmentally clean and protected areas. 4. Both Bansko and Borovets are ski resorts with world famous recognition and are well known tourists destinations. 5. According to the ambitious program for modernization, the transport network will be highly improved and new parking lots will be created. 6. Large infrastructure projects, including the expansion of the Sofia highway belt, Sofia subway extension, Sofia- embracing Lyulin highway and Struma highway will be completed. 7. Sofia, hosting the games would give a strong push for winter tourism and Bulgarian tourism, as a whole. Thus a positive image of Bulgaria will be created worldwide. What do the Organizers Think: Stefka Kostadinova, president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC)- “Hosting the 2014 Olympic Winter Games is a dream of Bulgarian Athletes. These games will provide an incredible opportunity to promote sport in Bulgaria, give our young athletes something to strive for and leave a lasting legacy for improved sports facilities for Bulgaria to enjoy” Boiko Borisov, mayor of Sofia- “The city of Sofia fully supports the bid. Our sports people best know what an Olympic cycle is and how the preparation for an Olympic competition takes place. They really know what a start fever is and what the organization of the Olympics is, for the simple fact they have taken part in many Olympics and World Championships. That is why I am convinced that Sofia has the unique chance to win this bid.” Albena Denkova, world skating champion- “Every sportsman starts from the dream to achieve something and if they do not keep dreaming and working for achieving the highest goal, things will be a lot more difficult to happen. I believe that all sports people in Bulgaria are a large team of dreamers- people, who would make everything in their power so that the Olympics 2014 take place in Sofia, where conditions are excellent for that purpose. I truly hope that the Olympics will be staged here, because that would give a great impetus to our country” So do BulgariaSki team believe.