site.btaBulgaria Hosts First European Fire Sports Championship

Bulgaria is hosting the first ever European Fire Sports Championship, bringing together 14 teams from eight countries: Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Croatia, Germany and the host nation. The competition runs from August 24 to 30 in the western town of Dolna Banya.

The championship features four disciplines. Individual events include the ladder climb and the 100-metre obstacle course, while team events comprise the 400-metre obstacle relay, the fire relay and the motor pump deployment. 

Chief Inspector Stoyan Stoyanov, head of the Firefighting and Rescue Operations Sector at the Regional Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection in Varna, told BTA: "It is a great responsibility, honour and recognition for Bulgaria to host the first European Firefighting Sports Championship." He stressed that the sport prepares firefighters for real-life situations, with each discipline rooted in professional firefighting practices.

Stoyanov noted that the sport could become popular enough in Bulgaria to support hobby groups, citing Czechia, where firefighting sports rank behind only hockey and football in popularity. He added that broader support for municipal volunteer programmes in Bulgaria could help achieve similar levels of participation.

Bulgaria has a strong tradition of hosting international competitions of this kind, having organized three world championships in 2008, 2012 and 2018. This year also sees the 11th International Club Championship in fire sports in Varna.

Stoyanov highlighted the importance of attracting children to the sport, pointing to a school in Varna affiliated with the Municipal Children's Complex which trains children year-round, and many of them later become volunteers and professional firefighters.