Истината

When in 1954-55. I visited the schools in the region of Kremen, Obidim and Filipovo, Municipality of Bansko and found myself in the village of Gostun, I was fascinated by the rounded peaks of the Rhodope Mountains, looking like tamed sea waves, and in the distance to the west it seemed to greet the frosty peak Vihren. I exclaimed: "Here are born and grow spiritually rich, willful and courageous people! This nature creates and inspires them. They are blessed!".
There is also the beginning of Ivan Lebanov, who later glorified Bulgaria, brought the first Olympic medal and himself became a legend of the Bulgarian ski sport!
In 1960. Nadezhda and Georgi Lebanovi's family settled in Velingrad. Little Ivan is not yet 3 years old. He grew up in the city of Vela, received primary and secondary education. But since those years he has one dream - to become a skier! It starts with primitive curved boards from a barrel and together with the other children makes the first steps along this desired path. But his chance is that he falls into the sight of experienced pedagogues and deserving skiers Maria and Georgi Stambolov. And you load hours, days, months of work and training.
Successes came, and distinctions came: multiple Republican champion in ski runs, 1977 world junior champion, two-time world student champion at 30 kilometers 1978-81, winner of winter spartakiads of friendly armies, multiple prizewinner of World Cup competitions. Awarded high state honors, earned master of sports and first honorary citizen of Velingrad. The highest award is from the 1980 Winter Olympics. in Lake Placid, USA, where in the cross-country 30 km won a bronze medal. In June 1999 at a solemn celebration of the 80th anniversary of ski sport in Bulgaria, Ivan Lebanov was named "Skior of the Century".
He is now the head of a ski school with his name on Yundola and teaches skiing to all who love this sport. Every year he works with 100-120 children and adults. Ivan Lebanov is a proven patriot. He loves Velingrad and its people. There is a house in the city, built next to the steps of the pine forest. The support and joy for him is the wife Rositsa, a teacher at Secondary School "V. Levski” and their two children Jordan (student) and Nadezhda (student).
He is a member of the VS of the BSP, but of particular importance is his work as a municipal councilor. It helps to get acquainted with people's pains and helps to heal them. In our conversations, he shares: "I live in our city, I know its problems and I can solve them. That's why I ran for mayor. The future of the municipality and the city is as an international balneological year-round resort and sports and tourism center. That is why I will work transparently to overcome the effects of floods, to reduce unemployment, for new fresh investments, for business development, for improving the hala of pensioners and disabled people, for the success of education and culture. But openly, honestly, with a responsibility for morality and ethics, wholeheartedly. I will not forget who did what and how before me. In the name of man, of humanism, of professionalism. This also applies to the team in the municipality, to the staff. This in the most general strokes, and the details, which are not hundreds, but thousands and thousands - in the process of the work itself...". And we believe him because he has still youth - it's not like being over 70 or under 50 and higher education - "Pedagogy" at the Sports Academy. We believe him more because his motto is "Anything is possible" and "Velingrad of all - this is our city". Because he is used to putting in colossal work (just one example: in the preparation for Lake Placid is 100,000 kilometers of running and 10 years of labor), of physical and mental overstrain, of hard work and deprivation of life's temptations. We believe him because he has proven his modesty, ethics and this is evident in the gratitude he has repeatedly testified to his coaches Stambolov, Zografov, Atanasov, Mitkov, Mitov, to his parents.
As early as his childhood years, when his first steps in skiing, Dr. Angelov found that the boy had a healthy heart and a slow pulse. Today radiates stability and strength, will and intellect, enlightened spirituality.
How can we not trust him on September 18th? With good reason, he says, "I'm optimistic! I won't let you down!".
Avram Gerev