DEVELOPMENT OF THE SPORTS SYSTEM IN BULGARIA

Introduction: The sports system encompasses various components, some of which are: athletes, sports, and pedagogical staff, and material and technical base. Its parts are interconnected and cannot function separately. The gradual establishment of a regulatory framework since 1990 has managed to regulate some of the most important problems. The constantly changing world and environment indicate the need to update and create new regulations to support the process. The study aimed to track changes in Bulgaria's sports system. Methodology: The study was conducted from 1960-2025 and examined the problems from a scientific and normative point of view. Some of the components that make up the sports system were examined - regulatory documents, sports federations, material and technical base, and sports and pedagogical staff. Results: The Register of Sports and Pedagogical Staff recorded 7388 instructors and coaches, 106 licensed sports federations, 4257 sports clubs, and 8 united sports clubs. The Ministry of Youth and Sports has registered 4918 sports facilities. Conclusions: The long-term forecasts and planning of the training process, which were carried out in the period 1960-1990, are difficult to apply at present. A shortage of qualified sports and pedagogical personnel has been established in some areas, as well as an unsatisfactory state of the material and technical base. The periodic change of criteria in the programs for financing at the level of sports federations and sports clubs, as well as regulatory documents, provokes the desire for quick sports results at different levels, to obtain greater financial resources during the calendar year.