Stock Photo - 1968 - Central Sports Boarding School: A new Central Sports Boarding School was opened in the beginning of the 1968-69 school year in Sofia. This boarding school is the first of its kind in Bulgaria. It is organized by the Central Committee of the Dimitrov Young Communists League and the Bulgarian Union for Physical Culture and Sports in order to co-ordinate the high school education of the young sportsmen and the broader sports training. Students at the age of 11-18, who have won first, second and third prizes at national children's competitions, who have good marks at school and good behaviour, can enter the school after thorough medical check-up. The basic aim of this school is to prepare excellent sportsmen, future champions. The students train the following individual events: field-and-track events, gymnastics, swimming, weight-lifting, cycling, boxing and the two styles of wrestling. Together with the training the young sportsmen learn foreign languages, the etiquette. The best Bulgarian coaches - Abadjiev, Stefanov, Alexandrov, Damianov, Manolov and Popov - lead the training with the help of six tutors and part-time teachers. The headmaster of the school Kiril Dimitrov said he hopes his students will win the majority of the prizes at the national field-day in June this year. The further aim is to reach the world training standards in volume and intensity. An interesting thing to note is that the young sportsmen keep the right to compete for the sports organizations, which have sent them. The sports school does not take part in competitions on its behalf. (Credit Image: © Keystone Pictures USA/ZUMAPRESS.com)