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This weekend, 25.02-27.02.2011, Bulgaria is to host the start of the FIS Alpine World Cup for the third time ever, after the competitions in the ski resort Borovetz back in 1981 and 1984. This time Bulgaria's most modern ski resort has become the host of the prestigious event. The world top racers in Alpine skiing have arrived in Bulgaria for a super combination event on Saturday and a downhill and super-giant slalom race on Sunday. More than 1,000 people worked over the past month to prepare the ski run Banderitza for the event. 20 thousand spectators are expected to arrive for the opening weekend. In addition to a specially erected platform for the finals, there will specially designated space for standing audiences along the ski runs. There is a huge media interest to the event, with journalists from more than 200 media expected to arrive. "The Alpine World Cup is perhaps the most significant competition in Bulgaria for this year", stated Bulgaria's Sports Minister Svilen Neykov.
"It is an extreme honor to us to host this competition because this is a very good publicity for Bulgaria. World's top skiers will arrive in Bulgaria, and thus the country will earn fame internationally being the venue of the Alpine World Cup".
The competitions for the Alpine World Cup include a total of more than 40 races in four disciplines. Experts call this the best tournament in Alpine skiing because it requires a top shape of races throughout the season. The Alpine World Cup is even more notable than the World Championship that takes place every two years. At the races in Bansko, the standings in the men's events will become clear, with Ivica Kostelic of Croatia being currently at the top position. According to the expectations of the Chairman of the Bulgarian Ski Federation, Tseko Minev, the competition is going to be extremely heated:
"Four world ski champions from Garmisch-Partenkirchen will race in Bansko, starting with Christof Innerhofer of Italy, Ted Ligety of the US, Jean-Baptiste Grange of France and his teammate Thomas Fanara. There will be many medallists so the competition will be really at a very high level."
The significance of this prestigious hosting opportunity for Bulgaria is huge. To Ivan Obreykov from the Organizing Committee, this is the second competition of this rank – two years ago, Bansko hosted the start of the women's events of the Alpine Ski Cup and next year the small town in the Pirin Mountian will host the super giant slalom and downhill skiing event for women. Thus, Bansko could quickly enter the list of the world's top ski destinations.
More from Ivan Obreykov:
"From the point of view of Bulgaria, this is one of the best advertisements for which you don't need to pay. What could a small town or a country want more than being shown on TVs around the world? It is so exciting only to think that this is happening in Bansko, a town where eight years ago nobody even thought this could happen."
Until eight years ago, all that Bansko had to offer to skiers and tourists was an old creaking chair lift and an old rope line that served two ski runs only, and the number of skiers was scarce. After serious investments in the resort's infrastructure, today Bansko has become the most up-to-date ski resort in the whole of Eastern Europe with more than 70 km of ski runs at the foot of the Todorka Peak, modern and fast lifts and artificial snow machines. "Bansko's popularity is growing by the day, which requires further investments", Ivan Obreykov says and adds:
"We are starting to act on the construction of a second chair lift that is extremely necessary because, at such events, we have huge queues of people lining up, waiting to get on the lift. There is nothing worse than seeing a person who has bought a lift card, has a good pair of skis, plenty of ski runs to use but is unable to reach them".
The desire of everyone is that Bansko could become more and more attractive not only for contests of the World Ski Cup but also to lovers of the white sport from around the world.
Author: Vessela Vladkova
Translated by: Rossitsa Petcova
bnr.bg
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