Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, opened Friday evening the starts of the World Cup Alpine skiing for women in the country's top winter resort of Bansko.

The competition is held on Saturday and Sunday (25 and 26 February) of the Banderishka Polyana (Meadow) ski track.

The opening ceremony was attended by Sports Minister Svilen Neykov, the Chairman of the ski Federation, Tseko Minev, the Mayor of Bansko, Georgi Ikonomov, and British Ambassador in Sofia Jonathan Allen.

Bansko is hosting for a second week the best skiers in the world, beginning with the men's competition.

Among the contestants to win this weekend, there are stars like Lindsey Vonn, Maria Riesch, Anja Paerson, Tina Maze, Elizabeth Goergl, and Julia Mancuso.

"Tourism is a total priority of the cabinet and of the President. We will continue to develop it in all its forms. 400 million people from all over the world are with us to discover and place Bulgaria again on the global ski map; to see that Bulgaria is a proven tourist destination, a leader in the region and one of the best in Europe," Plevneliev said.

Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, is attending the competition over the weekend. He said he is using two days off to be in Bansko, because he wanted to avoid media pressure.

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