site.btaBulgaria to Host Down Syndrome World Games in June 2026

During the Open Europe Down Syndrome Championships in Prague, the team of the Federation of Adapted Physical Activity officially presented Bulgaria as the host of the 2026 Down Syndrome World Championships. The event, to be held in Sofia from June 13 to 19 next year, will be the first championships of this scale dedicated entirely to athletes with Down Syndrome to be hosted by Bulgaria. 

The Down Syndrome World Games will be held under the auspices of the Sports Union for athletes with Down Syndrome (SUDS), the global organization responsible for the sporting excellence of athletes with Down Syndrome. The event will bring together participants from all over the world in a spirit of friendship, respect and inspiration, and will cover five sports disciplines: athletics, rhythmic gymnastics, gymnastics, tennis, and table tennis.

"This will not just be a competition, it will be a celebration of the human spirit. Every start and every smile will show that dreams have no limits," the Bulgarian delegation said at the presentation in Prague on Thursday. “Sofia will be an arena not only of sporting results, but also of human stories that inspire the whole world,” said Slav Petkov, President of the Federation of Adapted Physical Activity.