If I have to introduce myself in three sentences - I am Tsvetozar Hristov and I am a table tennis referee. I organize and conduct competitions in this sport. I have refereed at many Olympic Games, World and European Championships and World Cups. My relationship with sport is a relation of love and dedication, which led me throughout all my life since I was a little child.

The THREE valuable qualities that sport has taught me are:

1. Discipline - it helps me achieve my goals personally and professionally
2. Integrity - I set a good example for my children and others around me
3. Consistency - I treat everyone the same, according to the rules of the sport

The (sport) values I do teach the children and young athletes I work with:

1. I teach them to be persistent, to finish what they start and to do it in the timeframe they have promised or set
2. I teach them to be responsible and to complete the tasks given to them as they are trained
3. I teach them to be honest, not to abuse their position and not to accept unauthorized benefits from it
4. I have acquired all of these values from my home upbringing, from what I have learned from the Education System, and from the training I have participated in as a table tennis referee and as an employee of the companies I have worked for.

I think that additional training needs to be provided to coaches on how to teach the values of sport. It should include the codes of conduct of World Organizations and federations. In addition, I think every coach should know the latest rule changes, in the respective sport.

One of the most important topics for me is the discrimination – not only n sport, but in the workplace, in schools, on the streets, in the family, in the politics. And the EU sport diplomacy can be used to solve such issues. I think that EU sport diplomacy is the only way to do something TODAY against it.

There have to be the rule of law respected – same as the respect of rules in the sport.

What more should the European Union do to encourage more young people to embrace sport as a way of life?

1. Demonstrate clearly and openly the benefits of sport and physical activity, for example, as a way of combating overweight and obesity
2. To show sporting activities as a way of improving citizens' fitness and wellbeing, their mental health and work-life balance.

I often remember the words of Pierre de Coubertin, the "father" of the modern Olympic Games, considered sporting events to be an important tool for promoting human rights. Given that sport has such a function, how can we use it? How do I see the relationship between sport and human rights?

Sport promotes gender equality and includes disadvantaged people by providing them with opportunities to compete in the world's biggest forums - Paralympics, Special Olympics Deaflympics, etc. Here I come back again to the issue of discrimination, as a matter of unfairness and inequality, and this is something the EU sport diplomacy has the power to overcome.

I would like to see a sport world where the heads of the international sports organizations equalize the conditions of participation and the prize money, for men and women.

My name is Vencislav Ignatova and I am the president of the biggest Taekwon-do Club in Bulgaria CENTRAL POLICE TAEKWON-DO CLUB (CPTK). We are based in Sofia but have our branches in other 3 big cities I Bulgaria.

I have worked for 3 years also as a Director of the School sport Directorate of the Ministry for Youth and Sport in Sofia, Bulgaria. However, I discovered that I could have more impact as a trainer and a club president, then as a sport administrator. This was a key lesson for me. 

My club is member of the Bulgarian sports association of the Ministry of Interior (SAMI) where we have introduced about 9 years ago the sport program YOUNG FRIENDS OF THE POLICE. Through it, the police were supposed to promote sports activities among children in order to create a sense of responsibility for the affairs of society and a lasting attitude to respect the life, health, property, and opinion of others, to promote active participation in the democratic life of adolescents and young people and strive for social inclusion. CPTK wanted to encourage the participation in sport and physical activity and bring the values of TAEKWON-DO and sport to the children and young people making them active citizens. At the same time the club management observes in the frame of 20 years since its establishment, that the more its athletes are engaging with sport, the more active citizens they become in their school and communities, the easier they find jobs and employment after school and the more inclusive societies they succeed to live in.

Something I consider one of our biggest achievements is the program we have created TAEKWON-DO FOR THE MIND: GET A BLACK BELT IN VALUES. The project was funded under the Erasmus+ SPORT Program in 2018. I am happy that the program is still working and unfolding and thanks to it our club members have tripled since 2019.

TAEKWON-DO FOR THE MIND encompasses an extracurricular physical activity program that simultaneously introduces elements of critical thinking to the children practicing this sport and develops additional knowledge and skills. When my colleagues and me elaborated TAEKWON-DO FOR THE MIND program we wanted it to include not only exercises and open learning resources (e.g., lectures, group games and lessons). We offered an innovative algorithm to track the progress of all participants and to master complex knowledge and skills newly acquired - not only in TAEKWON-DO but also in life. Part of this extracurricular program was a special Character Card Bonus System (CCBS) - children aged 7-11 years earn points each time they demonstrate qualities that are taught in TAEKWON-DO - such as respect, responsibility, self-control, discipline, mutual help. As a result of using the card the CPTK and its partners in the project from Slovenia and Greece doubled their members – only in the Sofia branch of the sport club the children in the age 7-11 have increased from 170 to nearly 400 in 18 months. 

The parents of the participating children were extremely content not only with the sport progress of the kids, but also with their discipline, improved daily routine and communication skills. They insisted to continue and even increase the trainings and spread the word about the CCBS. The parents also wanted their older children to join such a program.

That is why we developed the TAEKWON-DO FOR THE SOUL program for teenagers, it went online and got viral – especially during the pandemics, teenage TAEKWON-DO athletes have used the program to practice online.

Now we continue with developing different other modules of this program – like TAEKWON-DO FOR THE RIGHTS sport events. My colleagues and me discovered the huge power and potential TAEKWON-DO as a sport has for promoting lifelong civic participation. Recently we examined a study which found that in addition to the direct benefit that civic participation provides to the community, it also produces secondary health benefits for participants. Sports are excellent avenues for the learning of civic values that can invigorate our democracy. Simply by participating in sport, citizens can appreciate values that are critical to the success of the Union. One of the values needed for a thriving democracy is the ability to work for the common good. In order to do this, the us/them divide must be disrupted.

I consider this MY MISSION in life and work with all the 560 children in my clubs to succeed – not only on the tatami, but also in life.

I have worked as a journalist and PR expert and/or manager in many different sectors and professional fields, but always alongside Yoga.

Currently I am teaching Iyengar yoga practices. Patanjali's Yoga Sutra is a collection of 196 sutras, each addressing a different aspect of the path to enlightenment through yoga. The treatise was composed over 2000 years ago and is recognized as one of the most profound and educational studies of human nature in search of spiritual liberation.

Iyengar (1918 - 2014) is considered by many to be the most influential yoga teacher of our time.

Sport always teaches discipline and calmness in crisis situations. These help me in communicating with people from the professional sphere and I think it is a positive and adds benefits to the teamwork skill. Now I work for a huge global company focused on renewable energy infrastructure and the skills gained in sport teach me how to deal with crisis situations. I try to first understand the different values, people of different nations and backgrounds I work with treasure most and then respect these values. 

I am aware that sport diplomacy is the use of sports as a tool to promote international relations, peace, and understanding between nations. That is why we often use the organization of joint sports events, and sports as a platform to address social issues. In the rural areas our company builds its RE powerplants sport diplomacy aims to bridge cultural and political divides, promote mutual respect and understanding between local community and business, and build relationships between all community members through the common language of sports – traditional sports and games of different ethnic minorities are  highly preferred when we organize sport events.

In professional sports - winning is the only motivation. But Yoga is rather a prevention for health of body and mind. If it must be categorized under sports it falls under the category of "grassroot" sports. There the most important thing is to participate, overcoming your own resistances. This is also the case with traditional games.

I treat all my yoga trainees with respect, regardless of their progress, aptness, abilities.

My trainees learn patience, tolerance, acceptance of the different as well as of themselves. I personally acquired these qualities along the way, through the experiences I received.

I think that it is necessary for coaches to have an approach, pedagogical training, and psychological education as well to be able to transfer and explain the values of sport - in the form of regular training through the federations, clubs, universities etc. There are various innovative methods to quickly put the information in a digestible form, for example through various role plays, practices, through which a direct effect and awareness is gained.

Look at me – I am Kristiana Gencheva, devoted to sport by heritage – my father was a sport coach, my mother was training some of the world-famous gymnastics’ champions of Bulgaria.

So, I grew up in the sport halls, next to the piano, playing for the ensemble or individual performances. I started training gymnastics, and it came naturally, as I didn’t have anything to do while my mom was leading trainings. I spent a lot of my childhood years in the sports hall. Now I spent again my adult years in the sport hall, and I am so grateful for the love and dedication of my children in this hall. They often come to me with flowers, handmade drawings, and this makes my heart melting.

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Now I am the President of the sports club in rhythmic gymnastics Grazia since 2008, former competitor and now coach. I like teaching physical education and sports. I have 15 years of experience as a physical education teacher and 5 years administrative experience as a civil servant at the Sports Department in the Municipality of Varna.

I have a priceless experience as a coach not only in Bulgaria, but also in Latin America – in 2006-2008 I was head coach of the national team in Salvador, where rhythmic gymnastics (then) was not so popular, but very intriguing – for sport communities, parents, and small girls. I was proud to be invited and to transfer the knowledge and know how I had from the Bulgarian experience.

I think, that in order to succeed in sport as coaches we need to obey to 3 principles: PATIENCE, DISCIPLINE, GRATITUDE!

We live in remarkable and tough times where hard work, respect, responsibility has to be implemented in every aspect of our life – not only related to sport, but also related to communication with public authorities, politicians, and colleagues.

I have the tough task now to be the head of a newly established NATIONAL SPORTS CLUSTER. I have to combine my duties as a trainer and the administrative tasks I have in my sports club with uniting and balancing the interests and needs of all 19 organisations that started the cluster. There is no such a structure in the sport ecosystem in Bulgaria and I am proud that the initiative came from Varna, where I live. I am glad that the sports clubs, companies, and universities who develop the cluster see the need of being united in order to create the best policies for healthy lifestyle, sport funding and education for sport staff in Bulgaria. It is not an easy task, but I am committed to it and I am convinced that with the support of all my colleagues I will succeed. 

If you want to succeed you have to work hard, you have to respect the coach's work and effort, you are solely responsible for ACTION and CHOICE (I learned this while growing up as an athlete).

Education for sport staff in good communication skills, problem solving, and strategic thinking is a must!  I believe it is necessary because while sharing experiences, we can learn from the LIFE MANUAL of other coaches and colleagues. Now we are doing it when working with many Ukrainian coaches, who have settled in Varna because of the ugly war in Ukraine.

I admire many of them because even confronted with such a disaster they keep on dreaming and living for the sport and the practising children.

But I admit that there are many of them who struggle with us, insist on their teaching methods and confront with us on different topics. I think that no matter in what a position you are, you have to be listening to your opponent, especially if he/she has more successful experience.

The biggest discrimination in our sport is the subjectivism and lobbying in judging!!!! I don't know if that's the right definition... that's how I see it. This fact leads to conflicts and scandals for higher sport staff in our sport and for dramatic situation for the gymnasts, who have put so many efforts in preparing. Our sport is a subjective sport. Sport should be enjoyable and make athletes happy.

But for me - Sport is war in peacetime... diplomacy is labour – my opinion is that there is only one winner – in sport! I don’t think in politics should be one winner only – we have to find the right decision who makes all of us happy. All parties should be satisfied, different directions and dimensions of success should be given.

I consider the greatest challenge in front of me know is the developing of the National Sports Cluster. I believe and it is my strong wish through diplomacy, communication and negotiation to showcase the point of view of the sport sector to the politicians, who not always understand how important sport to all of us is!

I am Dimitar Iliev, three times world, two times European champion in Muay Thai for amateurs and professionals and a multiple national champion. I am so honoured to be part of the sport values’ channel! I think such media is needed because values, not only in sport, matter today more than ever.

If I must name THREE valuable qualities the sport has taught me – they would be DISCIPLINE, PERSEVERANCE AND DESIRE TO WIN. Without discipline you can't achieve much in sport, everybody knows it. Accordingly, to become good at a sport, one needs perseverance. And the desire to win helps me, no matter what, to never give up and to seek results and victory at any cost. When I say ANY – mean it – but only for me. I never do compromises with ethics, with people feelings with fair play and sport rules.

As my sport is a combat sport, some people consider it a bit rough, yet more and more kids and young athletes are getting interested in it. It's discipline that I try to teach the kids that I train, not just in the gym but outside of the gym as well. I also teach them about helping each other, helping people in need, respect for their peers and respect for the older ones. I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but I rarely see such attitude in kids. We work a lot not only with children, but also with their parents, exactly on this topic.

I am convinced that there is additional training needed to be provided to coaches on how to teach values in sports.

In my opinion there is a need to provide this kind of training to be able to help children in the RIGHT WAY and to be sure, that we do the right thing. There are too many coaches nowadays in Bulgaria, some of them are active without qualification. Learning is a life long journey, you just start to walk backwards in the moment you stop learning. That is why it is important for coaches to undergo different types of training in order to be as helpful as possible to children and young athletes.

I have not only good memories and good feelings for my sport. I remember in 2009 I participated in the European Championship and lost in the final due to injury. After the championship I found out that I would only get half of my promised bonus because to get the full bonus there must be a certain number of participants in the category. In this case I had to refund all my expenses although the Ministry and state promised to cover all my expenses. This is not right; athletes should be supported by the government and unfortunately, I am not the only case.

Over the past year, Bulgaria decreases investment in sports, and I am wondering when the pattern will change. We have to learn how to invest in sport wisely and use sports as a tool to promote the country’s reputation and image internationally as well as domestically. The increase in sports activity leads to positive developments in ultra-conservative countries (which Bulgaria is not) and diverts the country’s attention from the various concerns that ail it. Here I see the link between diplomacy and sport.

To encourage more young people to train, sport needs to be advertised and promoted properly. Its benefits need to be brought to light and made attractive to people. Conditions must be given so that a person has the motivation to play sport and compete, to lead a lifestyle with sport through which they can support themselves and their family.

I think one of the purposes of sport is to create bonds and friendships. I've always had an individual approach to the different persons, but with no back thoughts or preconceptions. It doesn't matter who is against or next to you, all people should have equal rights and opportunities.

“If I had to draw a parallel between stunts and politics where diplomacy rules I would say: The real stunt is one where not everything can be calculated, when you have to make decisions on the spur of the moment. Then there is risk. "The trick is to feel the measure of how much risk you can take. Otherwise, you need God to protect you."

Here are some of his insights on life and sport diplomacy:

I am already 82 years old. When I look back to my sport and teaching career I consider as my strongest characteristics (thought from sport):

a) To stand up on your feet again when you are down – mankind learns from its experience and experience comes from mistakes. Losses are the most useful, so is life.

b) Perseverance and a will to succeed – for me fast means slow but continuously. There is no a speed elevator to success – you have to use the stairs and advance slowly. Because this is the beauty of life.

c) To be proactive – Both wins and loses depend on you and your self only. In the competition you have to first compete with yourself and win over yourself. Because this is the beauty of life.

To what values I am teaching the young people I am working with, my students?

1. To be good people, wide hearted, to go to school and learn a lot.

2. The school teaches children. Sport EDUCATES them.

Here are some other things I teach my students: what you learn in math, history, physics, etc. may be forgotten, but the character you build will carry with you for life.

3. Integrity - spirit and body in one. What you say should match what you do.

4. The "adversary" in sports is your best friend because he helps you improve.

5. By force you can take, but by force you cannot give. This is fully relevant to politics and diplomacy as well. Therefore, everything depends on the motivation and desire of the coach. Methods and means – different and many, but the most effective are the individual approach, critical thinking, and creativity of each coach.

A teacher can also learn from his students.

I am a man who loves his profession, so I am a lifelong learner.

The greatest discrimination occurs when a coach's primary and almost sole goal is to achieve the highest possible athletic results with his team. Is that not relevant to politics and diplomacy again? All children who do not have the necessary excellence and achievement are discriminated against.