Bulgaria PM Vows to Build National Sports Center by 2011

Bulgaria's National Sports Arena in Sofia is supposed to be completed by the mid summer of 2010. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s new National Sports Center will be completed by August 2011, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov promised.

Borisov has declined demands by his right-wing allies from the Blue Coalition that the construction of the sports arena, which is supposed to have a capacity of 16 000 spectators, be frozen over the lack of money in the state budget.

On Wednesday, Borisov expected the construction site of the National Sports Center located by the Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd in Sofia.

The construction of the national sports arena will cost about BGN 108.2, which are provided by the state budget. A total of BGN 40 M have already transferred to the account of the Ministry of Physical Education and Sports specially for the construction.

“By August 2011, Sofia will have a multifunctional sports arena. We have promised it to Sofia. When the previous governments were in power, they sold the sports facilities. This will be the place where the men and women of Bulgaria will shape their characters,” commented Borisov on the site.

He was taken around the construction by the head of the state-owned construction company Glavbolgarstroy Holding,m Simeon Peshev who assured the PM that a total of 13 technical tests have been made to make sure there would be no problems with the future sports centers.

The technical inspections were demanded by the Parliamentary Committee for Fighting Corruption over allegations of violations with respect to the procurement of materials and execution of the construction.

A total of 22 different sports will be practices in the new sports arena, which will be a six-story building.

It will be able to host international volleyball and basketball tournaments – something that Bulgaria cannot apply for at present because it lacks a proper facility as the largest sports arena it has is the Festival and Congress Center in Varna with a capacity of 5 000 spectators.

The future National Sports Center in Sofia will also be suitable for concerts and performances as its size will allow the construction of stages and the entering of trucks.

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