The sculptural group Wrestlers is a work of the prominent Bulgarian sculptor Prof. Lubomir Dalchev. It shows two wrestlers in a fight. The base was made of ashlars’ granite, and the sculptural itself was casted from bronze in the UHF foundry. The Regional Council of the Bulgarian Association for physical education and Sport– Haskovo was the investor. It was assigned for execution in January 1968 and was completed in June of the same year. The sculpture was an element of the layout around the newly-built sports hall and the festival decoration of Haskovo on the occasion of the 9thWorld Youth and Students Festival. During a visit of a Bulgarian official delegation to Lozana in October 2014, upon the invitation of the IOC’s President Dr. Thomas Bach, the two-time Olympic champion Boyan Radev gave to the Olympic Museum in Lozana a plastic art – a small model of the sculptural Wrestlers.

 

During the turbulent 1968 / student riots in France, protests against the war in Vietnam in the USA, Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia /, the Ninth World Youth and Students Festival took place in Bulgaria. Sofia was the capital of the festival entitled For Solidarity, Peace and Friendship which began on July 28 and lasted until August 6, 1968.

 

At the beginning of 1968, the Bulgarian National Committee for preparation of the 9thWorld Youth and Students Festival decided that free and classical fights shall be held in Haskovo from 30 July to 4 August. The participation of more than 250 wrestlers and guests from at least 30 countries was planned. On February 8, 1968, an Organizing Committee was set up in Haskovo to prepare the city for the festival, with Chairman Gospodin Kortsanov, the first secretary of the Communist Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party. A detailed work plan was adopted at the first meeting of the committee. The main task was the repair and expansion of the Sports Hall, the accelerated construction of the new wrestling saloon to the hall, and the organization for successful execution of the wrestling competitions. The sports hall was completed in 1965, so it is a quite new building. After the expansion and reconstruction a new sports complex was formed.

 

On July 27, 1968 was held a big meeting to welcome the delegates of the festival and to open the new sports complex Druzhba – the restored sports hall and the new wrestling saloon. On August 1, 1968, the festive fights began. It was attended by Roger Coulon – President of the International Wrestling Federation and Milan Ercegan – International Secretary of FILA. On the day of the opening of the fights in Haskovo, Roger Coulon gave a press conference.