President Iliana Iotova to Attend Winter Olympics Opening in Italy

President Iliana Iotova will travel to Italy to attend the opening of the Winter Olympic Games, at the invitation of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry, the presidential press office announced on February 5.

Bulgaria will be represented at this year’s Winter Olympics by twenty athletes competing in biathlon, alpine and snowboard disciplines, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, and figure skating.

Iotova will be a guest at the official reception hosted by the IOC President for heads of state and national Olympic committee officials.

On 6 February, she will be received by Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Royal Palace in Milan during a ceremony marking the formal opening of the Games. Later, she will attend the opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium, where the Olympic flame will be lit.

During her visit, President Iotova will also tour the Olympic Village in Milan and meet with the Bulgarian athletes.

In addition, the President will pay tribute at the Vasiliy Levski bas-relief on San Paolo Square in Monza. The sculpture, created by Boris Borisov and donated to Milan by the Municipality of Karlovo last year, is the first monument to the Bulgarian revolutionary in Italy.