ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Swiss lay the foundations of physical education in Bulgaria

Photo: nsa.bg

The conference "The work of Swiss teachers - a message and a challenge for future generations" was held today. It was organised by the National Sports Academy "Vasil Levski" and the Swiss Embassy and is dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the arrival of Swiss teachers who laid the foundations of physical education in Bulgaria.

On 17 May 1894, the first 10 physical education teachers from Switzerland arrived in Sofia with the task of establishing sport in Bulgaria. Among them were Charles Champot and Louis Ayer. 

For the first time in Bulgaria, the Swiss imported footballs and various equipment for gymnastics. Champot was Bulgaria's first participant in the Summer Olympics - in Athens in 1896. However, Louis Ayer gained greater fame for fighting in the Balkan War, the Second Balkan War and the First World War, where he died at the Battle of Doiran in 1916. A street in Sofia is named after him.

In honour of the arrival of the Swiss teachers in Bulgaria, 17 May was declared the Day of Bulgarian Sport.

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria Life    ayer bulgaria champot sport swiss teachers

More from category

Sea Fest 2025 on the beach for the Day of Varna

Sea Fest 2025 brings together in the city of Varna sea sports, beach games and an exciting stage program on the seashore . The program for the Day of Varna, marked on the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, will continue throughout the..

published on 8/15/25 6:15 AM

More than 70 craftsmen participate in the craft fair in the village of Oreshak

More than 70 master craftsmen will participate in the traditional craft fair in the village of Oreshak near Troyan , which starts on August 14 and will last until Sunday, BNR correspondent Plamen Hristov has reported. The masters..

published on 8/14/25 7:10 AM

Euro changeover: On the menu this summer

We are in the middle of Bulgaria’s summer tourist season, when the Black Sea coast — though not only there — is full of visitors from home and abroad. Unless you are staying at an all-inclusive hotel, a holiday also means setting aside a sizeable..

published on 8/12/25 8:18 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 23 | Max: 27
Clear
Min: 22 | Max: 29
Partly Cloudy
Min: 14 | Max: 35
Partly Cloudy
Min: 19 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 13 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 30
Partly Cloudy
Min: 19 | Max: 34
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 10 | Max: 28
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 15 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 14 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Sea Fest 2025 on the beach for the Day of Varna

Sea Fest 2025 brings together in the city of Varna sea sports, beach games and an exciting stage program on the seashore . The program..

published on 8/15/25 6:15 AM

Registration deadline for Bulgarian language test in Boston expires on August 15

For the sixth year, the Bulgarian School "St. Cyril and Methodius" in Boston, USA, is organizing a Bulgarian language exam with the assistance of the..

published on 8/15/25 10:24 AM

OPEN BUZLUDZHA gathers thousands under the "plate" of the most recognizable monument in Bulgaria

The monument on Mount Buzludzha - a symbol of the socialist era in Bulgarian history and a "star" among lovers of dark tourism, is once again the venue..

published on 8/16/25 1:52 PM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"