Sofia Municipality proposes to allocate up to 9.6 million euros for three international skateboarding competitions between 2027 and 2029. The sum sparked discussions in the financial committee of the Sofia Municipal Council, and a comparison with the costs of the 2026 Men's European Volleyball Championship raises the question of how the price of major sports hosting events is determined and what return the city can expect.
Bulgaria is the reigning world vice-champion in volleyball, and in September, Sofia hosted 21 matches of EuroVolley 2026, including elimination phase games. The championship brought together some of the strongest national teams on the continent and provided the capital with an opportunity for international advertising through one of the most popular sports in the country.
In October 2025, the Sofia Municipal Council approved the allocation of 500,000 leva from the municipal budget for the preparation and organization of the European Championship. The decision was unanimously supported with 54 votes "for."
However, this is not the full cost of hosting the volleyball event. The president of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubomir Ganev, revealed that the rights alone to organize EuroVolley 2026 cost 1.2 million euros. Over 500,000 euros was the expense for renting and using "Arena 8888 Sofia" for approximately two weeks, not including other organizational activities.

9.6 million euros for three skateboarding competitions

The proposal, submitted by Mayor Vasil Terziev, Chairman of the Sofia Municipal Council Tsvetomir Petrov, and municipal councilor Dimitar Petrov, envisages Sofia applying for two Olympic skateboarding qualifiers – in the autumn of 2027 and the spring of 2028, as well as for a World Cup competition in 2029.
The official report, which VolleyWeek has access to, explicitly states that up to 9.6 million euros are intended for the hosting fee of the three competitions under the auspices of the international federation World Skate.
During the financial committee meeting, however, a different financial breakdown was presented.

According to "24 Chasa," municipal councilor Dimitar Petrov explained that the fee to World Skate is 2 million euros for each competition, or a total of 6 million euros. Around 1.2 million euros are earmarked for a movable competition facility and television production, and approximately 2.5 million euros for the construction of a permanent skatepark in the Western Park.
Thus, the approximate sums mentioned reach 9.7 million euros. The more significant question, however, is why the official report defines the entire commitment of 9.6 million euros as a hosting fee, while oral explanations also include infrastructure costs.

How does the comparison with volleyball look?

If the explanations cited by "24 Chasa" are used, the rights for one skateboarding competition would cost around 2 million euros. In comparison, according to Lyubomir Ganev, the rights for Bulgaria to host EuroVolley 2026 were 1.2 million euros.
The difference is significant, although the formats of the two sports, the duration of the competitions, commercial rights, and the obligations of the organizers are different. Therefore, a direct comparison of the sums alone does not prove that one hosting event is more advantageous than the other.
However, it raises a legitimate question: what exactly does Sofia receive for the proposed funds, and what part of them will remain as a long-term investment in sports infrastructure?

What does Sofia expect to gain?

The proposers cite international advertising, the development of sports tourism, attracting visitors, and promoting skateboarding among young people as key arguments.
The report also presents an example scenario for sponsorship revenues between 2.01 and 2.07 million euros in total for the three competitions. However, these funds are not guaranteed.
School initiatives, demonstrations with world-class athletes, and the donation of a total of 300 skateboards over three years are also planned.
However, there is no specific forecast for the number of visitors, the actual revenues for the municipality, and the overall economic return of the project.

The decision is pending on November 5

The Financial Commission of Sofia Municipal Council has already supported the proposal with 9 votes "for" and 4 "abstained", "24 Chasa" reports. The final decision must be made at the meeting of the Sofia Municipal Council on November 5.
Skateboarding is an Olympic sport with an international audience and potential for development in Bulgaria. The question is not whether Sofia should organize competitions in other sports beyond those traditionally popular in our country.
The question is how the price of an international hosting is determined, what its real value is for the city, and whether public funds are spent under sufficiently clear and measurable conditions.
The comparison with EuroVolley 2026 shows how important it is for these answers to be given before taking on a multi-million financial commitment.