site.btaSlope for Alpine Snowboard World Cup in Bansko Is Ready

The slope for the Alpine Snowboard World Cup, which will take place in Bansko, Southwestern Bulgaria, on January 17 and 18, is practically ready, representatives from the Bulgarian Ski Federation told a press conference here on Monday. At the competition, Bulgaria will be represented by six men and six women.

The competitions in Bansko are the last chance to earn quotas for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The Bulgarian Ski Federation is confident that Bulgaria will be represented by the maximum number of four snowboarders that will compete in the men's event in Italy. World champion Tervel Zamfirov and former World Cup winner Radoslav Yankov have already secured their spots, while Alexander Krashniak is close to doing so. There are high hopes that Petar Gergyovski will also be able to join the group of 32 athletes who will compete in Livigno.

Bulgarian Ski Federation President Tseko Minev said: "A major competition is coming up for Bulgaria. It will be attended by 127 snowboarders from over 20 countries around the world. The challenge for us as organizers is huge, but our teams already have a lot of experience. I hope that what we have shown so far to the International Ski Federation, that Bansko is a benchmark for hosting competitions, will be repeated and the assessment of us will be the same again. The weather conditions over the past week have been very dramatic, but we hope that the weather will be on our side and that everything will go perfectly."

Bansko Mayor Stoycho Banenski said that his town is fully prepared to welcome the world's best snowboarders.

Minev added: "Every other year, Bansko will host the Alpine Skiing World Cup for men, featuring giant slalom and slalom events. In the alternating years, Bansko will stage either Women’s World Cup alpine races or World Cup snowboarding competitions. The agreement comes into force next year, ensuring that a men's alpine World Cup race will take place in the 2027/28 season."