site.btaSports Minister Peshev Tours Southwestern Bulgaria

"We are doing everything possible to develop and build on sport and youth initiatives in Southwestern Bulgaria," Minister of Youth and Sports Ivan Peshev said during his tour in Southwestern Bulgaria, his ministry said in a press release on Monday.

Together with the chairman of the Youth and Sports Committee in the 51st National Assembly Gabriel Valkov and BSP-United Left MPs Atanas Atanasov and Kiril Dobrev, Peshev visited the towns of Petrich and Sandanski, where he met with regional sports clubs. They discussed funding programmes, the state of sports infrastructure and the development of youth policy.

"This year's budget for sport and youth policy is nearly BGN 180 million, or nearly 31% more than last year's. These funds are allocated for investments in sports facilities, organizing national and international competitions, mass sports, supporting youth programmes and initiatives, promoting an active lifestyle among young people, training and development of sports professionals," Peshev said.

Peshev noted that the Ministry of Youth and Sports is preparing a new National Strategy for the development of physical activity, physical education, sport and sport-tourism for the next 12 years.