Bulgaria's Sofia has been named European Capital of Sport 2018, ACES Europe, the European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation, announced Tuesday.

The city of Sofia applied for becoming the European Capital of Sport 2017 but lost to Marseille. The Bulgarian capital received two points less than the French city after inspections made by the evaluation committee. According to ACES Europe's regulations, if the difference between competitors is less than five points, both of them are awarded the title in two consecutive years in alphabetical order, Dnevnik.bg informs.

In a letter to Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandakova, ACES Europe president Gian Francesco Lupatelli said that the city was a good example of the development of sport as a means to promote healthy living, integration and education, which were among the main objectives of the initiative.

The title European Capital of Sport aims to promote an active lifestyle focusing on grassroots sport and physical exercise.