Football ties

For all the prominence given to the ties between Vienna and Sofia in building their countries’ trade and historical ties, there is a less well-known aspect where Austria played a striking role in Bulgaria – football.

Two days of American Football practice in Sofia in October

Team Sofia will host an international training camp ahead of its November game against Istanbul Cavaliers.

Murphy's Misfits holding sixth annual Charity Touch Rugby Tournament

Everybody is welcome to play or just watch the games on October 10 in Sofia.

The ministry of fun

A story of a defence ministry, real estate deals, entertainment and pink BMWs

Female boxing becomes an Olympic sport

For the first time in the Olympics' history female boxers will fight for gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London

Stara Planina for Kotooshu

President Georgi Purvanov conferred the Stara Planina, first class, on Bulgarian sumo wrestler Kaloyan Mahlyanov, who competes under the name Kotooshu, for his extraordinary contribution to the development of Bulgarian-Japanese relations.

Yordanka Fandukova (47) – Education, Youth and Science Minister

She will take over one of the most problematic portfolios, less than two years after large teacher strikes and with public opinion in favour of continued reforms.

Bulgaria's PM-designate Boiko Borissov announces cabinet line-up

Sofia mayor and prime minister-to-be Boiko Borissov formally submitted his list of cabinet ministers to President Georgi Purvanov on July 23.

UniCredit Bulbank wins One Life Charity's Annual Football Sixes' Event

Proceeds this year will go for repair works at the St Dimitar children’s home in the town of Koula, northern Bulgaria.

One Life Charity's Annual Football Sixes' Event coming up

Teams should send the names of their players by 4pm on Wednesday, June 17 2009

My darling Sofia

Staff in the capital may seem apathetic but bus drivers, at least, will go out of your way to make themselves happy.

Bike parade calls for more bicycle lanes in Sofia

The first ever census of cyclists in Sofia scheduled for May 16 2009 wants more bicycle lanes in the city. Everyone is invited to take part

Rocking Rila

Nearly a third of Bulgaria is covered by mountains, so with summer just around the corner The Sofia Echo starts a new series on Bulgarian mountains. In our first such feature we focus on the attractions of Rila Mountain.

READING ROOM: Snow white

Forget the overcrowded Black Sea. Bulgaria really comes into its own as a winter holiday destination

When it comes to skiing, four destinations in Bulgaria attract the most attention. While Borovets, Pamporovo and Bansko are usually considered as "the place" to ski in Bulgaria, the fourth one, Vitosha near Sofia, is gaining quickly in offering winter sport fans the opportunity to ski just five km from their homes.

Olympic recognition

During an official ceremony held at the National Arts Gallery in Sofia, on November 19, Vessela Lecheva, head of National Agency for Youth and Sport (NAYS) awarded the Bulgarian Olympic delegation the cumulative sum of 2883 000 leva for their accomplishments in Beijing 2008. The funds were made available by NAYS and were allocated to all the participants, managing and coaching staff, medical teams, physiologists, armourers, advisors and other officials who constituted the Bulgarian Olympic task force in China.

TOURISM BAROMETER: From snowflakes to summer tan

Bansko, the largest winter sport resort on the Balkans, officially opened its summer tourist season on May 24. Many of the hotels in the town in the foothills of Pirin National Park will be closed during the summer months, including the Moura, the Bansko and the Strazhite, which belong to Bansko ski zone concessionaire Ulen. Others, such as the four-star Glazne Hotel, expect about 10 per cent of their rooms to be

MANAGER PROFILE: Five-star talk

Angelov entered the hotelier business with the opening of Grand Hotel Sofia, a five-star hotel in downtown Sofia. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst on a number of privatisation and post-privatisation control deals. His academic background includes a degree in international economic relations in Moscow and a management buyout specialisation from the University of Nottingham.

VENUE REVIEW: The Grand Hotel, Varna

Summer on the Black Sea coast is fun-packed and offers something for everyone, from sun worshippers to those who cannot sit still and crave excitement. Children and adults alike are spoilt for choice. However, when holidaymakers return home, one venue still maintains the momentum of all year round fun and relaxation. The Grand Hotel, Varna, in SS Constantin and Helena, is one of the resort's oldest hotels and has recently undergone a complete renovation. A firm favourite with locals and tourists, the modern-looking hotel building is something of a landmark in the area. Its 11 floors make this hotel stand tall, only 350m from the shimmering Black Sea. The recent makeover has also given this hotel some added attractions and unique selling points, ensuring that guests will keep on coming in and out of season.

EDUCATION IN BULGARIA: ABC KinderCare Centre brings experience and individual attention

A belief that children are unique individuals with unique personalities and needs is the basis for ABC KinderCare Centre's educational approach. The English-language Sofia pre-school/kindergarten believes that a child learns best through exploring the world around him or her, with adults encouraging and guiding growth and development.

New Council to supervise and support children

Spotchecks in nightclubs on underage revellers will be just one of the functions of the new Consultancy Council for Children in Sofia (CCCS). The organisation will also set up resource centres for homeless children. In addition, gifted youngsters as well as their parents will receive extra financial support, Bulgarian language daily Zagrada.bg reported on April 28.

The Netherlands in Bulgaria: Bartels hunting for first Bulgarian deal

Bartels Consulting Engineers, one of the largest of its kind in the Netherlands, is no novice to the Bulgarian market, neither does it adhere strictly to original plans. Five years ago, when it launched operations in Gabrovo, central Bulgaria, it used its 10-strong office solely to outsource work on projects it had been winning at home, Bernie Schoppers, the company's country manager for Bulgaria, told

Guns at school - school statement

Fifteen-years-old Poul Boevski, son of Bulgarian weightlifting Olympic champion Galabin Boevski, has threatened classmates with a gun for months, the management of Sofia's 18th William Gladstone high school said in a statement published on April 21 2008. "Poul Boevski is a problematic student who been repeatedly violated school discipline, arrived late and skipped classes. This is something about which his parents have been repeatedly informed by the school and the reason why the school counselor has been working with Poul for some time".

MANAGER PROFILE: A vision for television

Diema Vision was founded in 1999. Its portfolio features five TV channels: Diema +, Diema 2, Diema Extra, Diema Family and MM TV, all distributed via cable in Bulgaria with 70 per cent coverage throughout the country. As of March 2007, Diema Vision is a part of BMGL (Balkan Media Group Limited), a joint venture between Apace Media Group UK and the international entertainment-broadcasting group Modern Times

Deja vu

The question about the future of CSKA football club is turning into a real drama, and not simply because the team is one of the two most successful football clubs in Bulgaria. All around the world, sport and business go hand by hand and Bulgaria is no exception. So the minute the Bulgarian-language media started publishing articles about the sale of the Kremikovtzi steel plant, all eyes

Chelsea to compete with Arsenal for Dimitrov and Blackburn for Domovchiyski

Chelsea boss Avram Grant was ready to compete with Arsenal for Levski Sofia striker Nikolay Dimitrov. Grant was interested in Levsi striker Valeri Domovchiyski. Emil Velev, Levski assistant coach, told Sport 1 that Grant had phoned him to ask about both Dimitrov and Domovchiyski. Dimitrov was close to a move to Arsenal, after successful trials with the club. "Arsenal is in talks with Levski about a fee for Dimitrov," tribalfootball.com said.

MANAGER PROFILE: Music rocks his world

Given the constant stream of concerts happening in Bulgaria after the country entered the EU, naturally the question arises who is organising them and what does it take to arrange for a star to visit our little Balkan country so thousands of people can experience the thrill of a live show. Apparently, the biggest Bulgarian music mediator is Sofia Music Enterprises (SME), established in 1991 by Ivan Nestorov and

MANAGER PROFILE: Creating three-dimensional virtuality

Founded six years ago, Treality is committed to creating new technical and aesthetic creative content, digital imaging and compositing, object 3D modelling, 2D and 3D animation, interactive multi-media and computer programming. By integrating technology, architecture and animation, Treality creates realistic films and interactive solutions for architectural presentation of urban habitats, landscapes, recreational

Now we are 10

On April 18, it will be 10 years since the first issue of The Sofia Echo, which has established itself as Bulgaria's national English-language newspaper.

As the sun rose on a spring morning in 1997, a team that had worked through the night had the first issue of The Sofia Echo ready for the printers. Christine Milner, founder and now the managing director of the multi-publication Sofia Echo Media Ltd, remembers a telephone conversation with a friend in the early hours of the morning. The fledgling newspaper had stories, headlines, photos and bylines, but no

STREET TALK: A job on the go

People often say that turning a hobby into a profession is the key to doing a job with pleasure, that one would be less likely to get bored of his job. In the case of people who love sport, this is indeed possible. Oliver Dangubik is half a Macedonian, half a Bulgarian ski instructor at Bulgaria's most lucrative - in recent years - ski resort, Bansko. He was born and lived in Radovish, eastern Macedonia, where he completed his

BULGARIA'S CSKA ANNOUNCES CHANGE OF OWNER

Senior coach of Bulgaria's football team CSKA Dimitar Penev said that the deal for the sale of the team to Indian tycoon Pramod Mittal will be finalised on December 5. Conditions in CSKA until now have been good but are expected to become even better, said Penev as quoted by Darik Radio. Players and technical staff already signed new contracts. The international team players will do so upon their return from