Confucius Institute in Sofia and Badminton Club “Racket Speed” Signed a Cooperation Agreement

On March 4, Aksiniya Koleva, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, and Chen Ying, Chinese Director, visited the “Racket Speed” Badminton Club in Sofia together with their delegation. They held talks with Gergin Angelov, Chairman of the club’s board, on potential cooperation between the two sides.

During the meeting, Mr. Angelov introduced the club’s development, competition achievements, branch organizations, and corporate social responsibility. He noted that promoting the integration of badminton and the Chinese language carries strategic significance. Learning Chinese, he said, will create new opportunities for international exchange and career development for club members. He also expressed the club’s willingness to establish a long-term partnership with the Confucius Institute.

Director Aksiniya Koleva presented the achievements of the Confucius Institute in Chinese language teaching, cultural activities, and “Chinese+” programs. Director Chen Ying provided a detailed overview of the Institute’s Chinese language teaching staff and, in light of the club’s development needs, proposed specific suggestions for future cooperation in language education and sports and cultural exchange activities.

Both sides reached an agreement to launch Bulgaria’s first “Chinese + Sports” program and officially signed a cooperation agreement. Mr. Angelov presented the Confucius Institute with a letter of appreciation and books published by the club.

The “Chinese + Sports” program pioneers an interdisciplinary integration of Chinese language learning with sports culture. Based on Chinese language education, the program incorporates sports-related terminology and introduces knowledge of Chinese sports culture.

The “Racket Speed” Badminton Club holds official certification from the Bulgarian Ministry of Youth and Sports and has branches in several cities. The club is committed to promoting both mass participation in sports and the development of high-level competitive sports, with particular attention to the growth of children and young people. It has gathered several of Bulgaria’s top male badminton players, who have achieved outstanding results in major domestic and international competitions.

Confucius Institute in Sofia

Text: Zhang Kaiyue

Photos: Zhang Qing

Editors: Chen Ying, Aksiniya Koleva, Ding Chen

English translation: Dima Pironkova