SOFIA, February 04. /ITAR-TASS/. The Winter Olympic Games in the Russian southern city of Sochi will become “a bright page in the history of world Olympic movement,” Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said with confidence in an exclusive interview with Itar-Tass. The Bulgarian leader will attend the closing ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympic Games on February 23.

“The program of Olympic organizers is especially large-scale, but I am absolutely confident that modern and beautiful buildings erected here will be appreciated not only by athletes, but also ordinary people,” Plevneliev said. “An ambitious program, which was announced several years ago, will be fulfilled,” he noted. “Olympic Games will change the image of not only one city, but also of the whole region,” he said. “I do not see anything bad in ambitions and I am glad that investment is made in modernizing the largest Black Sea resort,” he added.

The Bulgarian president noted that he would visit Sochi “to show respect to the Games, Olympic spirit and all those who believe in them.” “I will attend the closing ceremony of the Olympics and I hope that I will be able to support Bulgarian athletes at competitions,” he said.

“I would like to wish Russian partners and colleagues to fulfill successfully this sweeping plan. I wish the whole world sees a well-organized Olympic event. I wish athletes fair competition and great success and I wish all fans safe, peaceful and certainly, in purely human aspect, emotional and interesting competitions. I wish everyone to maintain and develop the Olympic spirit of fair competitions, friendship, kindness and partnership,” the Bulgarian leader said in conclusion.

“The Bulgarian team is quite small, just 18 people. I would like them to reach the finals. I would like to wave the Bulgarian national flag in their honor with pride,” Plevneliev said.

The 22nd Winter Olympic Games will be held in the city of Sochi on February 7-23, and the 11th Paralympic Winter Games will be held on March 7-16. As many as 98 sets of medals in 15 disciplines will be contested at the Sochi Olympics, 72 sets of medals - at the Paralympics.