The sports school, from which Lyubomir Ganev, Antonina Zetova, and many other great names in Bulgarian sports started their journey to big volleyball, welcomes its students today in a completely renovated building.
On September 1, Sports School "Major Atanas Uzunov" in Ruse opens the 2026/2027 academic year with a massively modernized facility and several projects that should gradually transform it into a complete sports complex.
The school holds a special place in the history of Bulgarian volleyball. The volleyball class was opened back in the 1973/1974 academic year, and among the most famous names who passed through the school are the current president of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubomir Ganev, and the bronze Olympic medalist from Moscow 1980, Valentina Haralampieva.
One of the greatest Bulgarian athletes, Antonina Zetova, also grew up as a volleyball player in Ruse. She was a student at the sports school, played for the women's team of Dunav at just 15 years old, and at 16, she transferred to CSKA, from where she continued her path to big European volleyball.
Valya Rasheva, the mother of one of the greatest stars in the history of Bulgarian volleyball, Matey Kaziyski, is also connected with the Ruse volleyball school. Rasheva is among the strong generation of Dunav volleyball players, along with Valentina Haralampieva, Antonina Zetova, and other famous names from Ruse women's volleyball.
More than half a century after the school's establishment and 53 years after the opening of the volleyball class, "Major Atanas Uzunov" is entering a new stage of its development.
One of the main already completed projects is "Modernization and reconstruction of installations in the buildings of Sports School 'Major Atanas Uzunov' - Ruse". The investment is worth 1,533,807 euros, fully provided by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The construction site was opened last September, and the renovation was completed on June 24. The building already has the necessary documents for commissioning.
"This project is truly important so that children can enter a brighter and more modernized environment in the classroom," explained the management.
In parallel, the renovation of the dormitory continues. Two of the five floors have already been renovated, and work is currently underway on the third, fourth, and fifth. Funding from the Ministry of Youth and Sports amounts to 920,394 euros, and activities are expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year.
The dormitory is completely free for the students of the sports school. After the renovation is completed, it will be able to accommodate up to 250 children and during sports events in Ruse.
The other major infrastructure project is the construction of a new gymnasium. Construction began in June, and the completion deadline is one calendar year.
The project is worth 1,253,842 euros and is implemented with co-financing under the Program for the Construction of Gymnasiums at the Ministry of Education and Science and with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
One of the school's most famous alumni, Lyubomir Ganev, was present at the groundbreaking ceremony in June.

"We believe that we will enable our school to further develop team sports," the management pointed out.
The development of the material base goes hand in hand with a serious increase in interest in the school. Three years ago, 186 students were studying there, and now there are 303. The sports offered have increased from 8 to 14.
The state admission plan is also increasing - from 54 students two years ago to 63 last year and 69 for the 2026/2027 academic year. Six new general education teachers have been appointed, as well as new coaches.
Starting this year, sport shooting is added to the sports, with the assistance of two-time Olympic champion Tanyu Kiryakov. The school has been donated four air pistols and equipment for four sport shooting lanes. Athletics is also returning.
In the new academic year, the school will also work on the project "Prevention and prevention of bullying and violence and reduction of aggression in schools". It has a duration of 36 months and a value of 71,000 euros.
Specialized training for teachers is planned for conflict management, bullying and cyberbullying prevention, as well as the creation of a school mediation unit and a parent club "Sport without Aggression".
The other new project is "Future Coach Pro", funded by the Erasmus+ program and worth 61,000 euros. It is aimed at modernizing the training process and the professional preparation of students.
Two international mobilities are planned. In the first, 18 students from the "assistant coach" profession and two pedagogical specialists will undergo 14-day training in Portugal, including work in a training process, assistant coach practice, and the use of digital tools for video analysis and monitoring of sports achievements.
The second mobility will send four employees for specialized training in Malmö, Sweden.
The main goal of the management is that after the completion of the new hall and the complete renovation of the dormitory, the three components – sports facility, accommodation, and canteen catering – will be practically united into one complex. This way, training camps for young athletes can be organized in Ruse without the need for daily travel between different facilities.
"My dream is for the hall to be completed by the end of next year, the dormitory should be completed by New Year, and you now see the renovated building," said director Evgeni Nedev.
Thus, the school, which has given Bulgarian sports Olympic, world, and European medalists, begins the new academic year with an eye on the next generation. And for Bulgarian volleyball, "Major Atanas Uzunov" remains a place with a special history – from Valentina Haralampieva and Lyubomir Ganev to Antonina Zetova and the generations after them.

photos:suruse.eu