. news BFSki : FIS President: Bulgaria Should Make a Winter Paradise of Vitosha - 29 December 2007 - 12:44
15.12.2007. Sofia City Mayor Boyko Borissov promised FIS President Gian-Franco Kasper he would do his best to turn Vitosha into a state of the art ski center and perfect organization of the Snowboard World Cup round, which is to take place at Battenberg Square in Sofia December 22.
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and Sofia City Mayor Boyko Borissov took turns in receiving the President of the International Ski Federation (FIS) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Gian-Franco Kasper. Accompanied by Bulgarian Ski Federation (BSF) President Tseko Minev, State Agency for Youth and Sports Chairperson Vessela Lecheva and the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) President Stefka Kostadinova, the important guests first met with Bulgaria's Head of State at 9 in the morning and presented him with a book about world skiing history.
"You should focus on fostering love for the mountains and winter sports in the Bulgarian children and their parents," was Kasper's appeal. Both President Parvanov and Mayor Borissov promised they would do their best to turn the Vitosha Mountain into a modern ski resort. Kasper also thanked Bulgaria for cooperation in organizing a round of the Snowboard World Cup that will take place in Sofia on December 22. "Holding the competition here will be a Christmas card Sofia will send to the world," Kasper said further.
UN Expert: You've preserved the nature intact
16.12.2007. "Words fail me to express my admiration for the ski zone in your winter resort of Bansko," FIS environment expert Erwin Lauterwasser said yesterday. He is the chief lecturer at the 6th FIS Leaders' Seminar, held in Bansko five-star Kempinski Grand Arena Hotel December 14-17, 2007
"Even the forest openings needed for the construction of the ski lifts are much narrower than in the other ski resorts across the world, thus many trees have been saved.
At the seminar's opening ceremony, Bansko Mayor Alexander Kravarov and Tseko Minev, President of the Bulgarian Ski Federation, granted a special award to FIS President Gian-Franco Kasper, for his contribution to the development of skiing and tourism in Bulgaria.
Each of the forty participants in the seminar was presented with a potted sapling to carry back to their home country.