2nd Business Leaders Olympics Vs. Nature

Despite the pouring rain, some 150 BBLF members measured skills and strife in the Second Business Leaders Olympics, hosted again by Air Sofia Golf Club in Ihtiman.

The managers participated in 18 Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines, including the regular football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, cycling, chess, backgammon, cards, darts, etc., and the more unusual and hence more fun air gun shooting in the rain, swimming in the rain, salsa dancing, good-food and precious wine indulging, and making the most of a rainy, cloudy afternoon surrounded by many friends and partners.

That was the bottom-line of one of BBLF's largest annual events. For the second consecutive year its general sponsor was AstraZeneca Bulgaria, while sponsors and supporters included Nokia Bulgaria, Intracom, Hilton Sofia, Allied Pickfords, Schenker Bulgaria, M3 Communications Group, Coca-Cola Bulgaria, Ideal Standard-Vidima, and Todoroff Wine Cellar.

Before the start of competitions, everyone gathered together to release six birds, saved from death and cured by BBLF Member Green Balkans Foundation.

Nokia was unanimously proclaimed the most successful participant in this year's Olympics with three Business Leaders Cups: Dragomir Apostolov was the only one to challenge the cycling track and hence won the Cup, while Managing Director Krassimir Ganchev was the most precise air-gun shooter and the most graceful salsa dancer.

The football cup and gold medals were won by Corporation Razvitie's semi-professional team, followed by a combined team of BBLF interns and Business Master Classes students. Another team of the latter kind won the volleyball competition which went on almost entirely under the rain. Schenker won both the gold and silver medals in the basketball tournament. The best swimmers and the bravest challengers of natural forces proved to be Vassilen Dimitrov and Kristina Petrova. Diana Georgieva won at darts, Lanko Lankov won at backgammon, while Lachezar Bulgariev outsmarted all in chess. Nelly Stoianova and Violeta Petrova proved to be the smoothest card players in an entirely male competition.

The pearl in the crown however was the salsa competition, preceded by a dance class that brought on the dance floor almost all participants.

Many winners will probably celebrate their triumph next weekend, as many of them were also among the winners in the Olympic raffle - one of them received a weekend in the Medite hotel in Sandanski, and three of them will spend a weekend with their loved once at Hilton Sofia.

The sports event was anchored by famous sports journalist Radko Yankulov, much of the time assisted by well-known TV host Bate Encho.