Lights On, Flags Up – The European Championship begins in Burgas

Burgas welcomed the European Championship 10m U16/U18 with a bright and festive opening ceremony. The arena was filled with music, lights, and the excitement of young boys and girls from all over Europe.

The event was officially opened by ESC Secretary General Yahor Aleinik, President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee and Bulgarian Shooting Federation Vessela Letcheva, and Mayor of Burgas Dimitar Nikolov.

One of the most inspiring moments was seeing Bulgarian shooting legends on stage: Olympic champions Tanyu Kiryakov, Maria Grozdeva, and silver medalist Antoaneta Kostadinova. For the young athletes in the stands, their success is the best proof that big dreams can come true.

The ESC launched the U16/U18 Championships in 2025 to invest in the future of the sport and to open more doors for young athletes and coaches to compete. This initiative proves its reasonability as far as the dynamic of participation is more than positive: has this 335 athletes from 36 countries came to Burgas. Last year Estonia welcomed 263 athletes from 28 countries. The largest teams are from Hungary and Bulgaria.

In the opening speech Mrs. Vessela Letcheva thanked the ESC for trusting to host the Championships and expressed hope that shooting sport competitions on the Black Sea will become a tradition. 

The ESC Secretary General Mr. Yahor Aleinik expressed his gratitude to the Bulgarian Shooting Union and personally to Vessela Letcheva for the excellent organization and warm welcome. He also thanked the coaches for their daily work and dedication. Addressing the athletes, he encouraged them by saying: “Let this be your starting point on the road to the Olympic Games.”

Follow the competition and discover the names of the first heroes with us! The streaming schedule is available here.

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