site.btaPlovdiv to Host First Large-Scale Sports Event for People with Disabilities

Plovdiv will host the city's first large-scale sports event for people with disabilities on July 8, the organizers said on Tuesday. Participants will include members of the Union of Disabled People in Bulgaria (Plovdiv Region) and Trakia Sports Club for People with Disabilities, with competitors expected from Plovdiv, Karlovo, Sopot, and the village of Gradina.

Competitors will take part in seven disciplines: basketball shooting, darts, tug of war, a potato planting and harvesting relay, bowling, table tennis, and chess.

"Everyone deserves the opportunity to demonstrate their strength, talent, and dignity. For these athletes, sport is more than competition, it is a victory over challenges, prejudice, and personal limitations," said Ivan Pashov, Chairman of the Sports Development Council Plovdiv Foundation. The organizers noted that the event aims not only to promote physical activity but also to encourage social inclusion, equal opportunities, and the active participation of people with disabilities in community life.

The event is organized by the Sports Development Council Plovdiv Foundation, and the Plovdiv regional branch of the Union of Disabled People in Bulgaria. Founded in 1992, the Union's Plovdiv branch represents around 1,300 people with physical disabilities. Its mission is to promote their full inclusion in society and advocate for their rights through active participation in local and national policymaking.