The state should fund sport and demand an account of how the money is spent, but stay out of feuds inside sports federations, sports minister Encho Keryazov told BNT.

The ministry has found violations at the karate federation and has passed its findings to prosecutors to check. Other federations have also been reported to prosecutors.

Keryazov says the problems in the federations stem from politics meddling in how they are run. They differ from case to case, but many federations have tension, and there should be none.

The minister is trying to balance the problems, mainly in wrestling and weightlifting. In weightlifting, the club that challenged Asen Zlatev's appointment has withdrawn its appeal. Zlatev now has to be entered in the register before he can take up the post and start work.

In wrestling, the ministry is watching the tension but has no right to take decisions or interfere in how the federation is run, Keryazov explained. He hopes the clubs will choose for themselves the president they want to lead the federation.

Despite the problems that have piled up, the minister says the ministry has managed to protect athletes' peace of mind and their funding for specific seasons. Money is also secured for Bulgarian players at the chess Olympiad.

The disputes over the leadership of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee are over, and the ministry works well with the new leaders, Keryazov said. He said the disputes had hurt Bulgaria's image abroad. Last week the committee and the Sports Totalizator signed a deal, the first long-term one between them. The minister said the totalizator has raised its revenue in four months.

There have been only first talks about a new national stadium, and building will not start soon. Different sports ministers have discussed the idea for years.

Keryazov has visited almost all sports facilities in Bulgaria himself, so he does not have to decide only from reports and photos. They are in very poor condition, he said. Major repairs to the national facilities are expected to start next year.

The minister has made a commitment on the Belmeken base. A project is being drawn up and a survey is under way, and repairs will follow. Only two bases in Europe lie above 2,000 metres, and Belmeken is one of them. The minister says it has no equal in Bulgaria or in Europe.

For 2027 the ministry has asked for more money for Olympic athletes and for children's and school sport. But first there must be open management with clear rules, Keryazov says: "Before we ask for a bigger budget, we must show very clearly that we can manage what we have."

The minister says children should choose gyms and stadiums over the street, because future champions were children first. He insists that physical education should rank equally with other school lessons.

The government proposes changes to the Gambling Act: less gambling advertising, limited access to ad space and a ban on gambling halls near schools. Keryazov called the proposals very good and very important.