Bulgaria's volleyball internationals made whole of Bulgaria shed happy tears. Bulgaria showed an excellence performance at the World Championship in Japan and deservedly won the bronze medals. Bulgaria beat Serbia and Montenegro 3-1 in the match for the 3rd place.
A day after the lost semi-final vs Poland, Bulgaria's internationals showed exceptional stamina and verve and they were unmistakable in the so called "small final". Bulgarians living in Japan supported their internationals in Yoyogi stadium and despite the early hour in Bulgaria thousands of lovers of the volleyball game had their fingers crossed for Bulgaria.
"The match for the bronze medals was a battle between grand teams," the President of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), Ruben Acosta, stated after the match.
The celebrations started straight after the match. Bulgaria's Ambassador to Japan, Academician Blagovest Sendov, gave a reception to the Bulgarian heroes. Officials from the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation confirmed the bonus of 300,000 euro for the bronze medals. Chairwoman of Bulgaria's State Agency for Youth and Sports (SAYS), Vessela Lecheva, promised additional bonuses from the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator and she stated that she would do her utmost to solve the problem with the lack of a modern volleyball hall in Sofia.
Bulgaria's internationals are arriving to Sofia at 03:40 a.m. on Tuesday on a flight from London.
Parvanov Decorates the Volleyball Team with Insignia of Honor Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov will decorate the national men's volleyball team with insignia of honor. He sent special greetings to the players and also congratulated coach Martin Stoev on his birthday.
"I am very pleased to congratulate you on the bronze medals you won at the FIVB World Championship 2006. You won matches against very strong teams and played with great courage and determination in the name of your country and the Bulgarian people. After twenty years Bulgaria is again part of the world volleyball elite. This is a huge success for the team and its coach," Parvanov's letter to the team reads.
"It is quite impressive that your team presented you with a bronze medal at the FIVB World Championship in Japan on your 35th birthday," Parvanov's letter to head coach Martin Stoev reads.