Page 44 - Olympism in Socialism

For many years now Bulgaria has been
among the leading sports nations. At present the
Bulgarian Union for Physical Culture and Sports
maintains contacts with sports organizations and
federations in over 100 countries of Europe, Asia,
Africa and Latin America. Bulgarian specialists
and coaches work in many foreign countries,
sharing their abundant experience.
Of course, there are still problems awaiting
solution - the sports schools cannot enrol all
applicants, not all extramural sports schools
provide enough places for all the youngsters
wishing to join them, some lack modern facilities.
In the development of individual sports the
process is not always ascending. At the moment,
for instance, football, one of the favorite sports in
this country, is in a state of crisis, whereas a few
years ago, the Bulgarian national team was
among the world’s best. However, these are
temporary setbacks, and measures are being
taken for overcoming them.

BULGARIA AT OLYMPICS
Bulgaria first participated at the Olympic
Games at the inaugural 1896 Games, with a
single gymnast. However, since Charles
Champaud was a Swiss national living in Sofia,
some sources credit his appearance
to Switzerland instead.
The Bulgarian Olympic Committee was
created in 1923 and first sent a team to
the Summer Olympic Games in 1924. The nation
has participated in every Summer Games since
then, except for 1932 (during the Great
Depression), 1948 (Bulgaria's role in World War
II), and 1984, when they were part of the Soviet-
led boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Bulgaria first participated in the Winter Olympic

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