STAYING FOCUSEDOLYMPIC REVIEW SPEAKS TO THREE ATHLETES WHOSE OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY SCHOLARSHIPS ARE HELPING THEM REALISE A DREAM BY COMPETING IN THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES66 OLYMPIC REVIEW OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY

How old were you when you started playing badminton? I began to play at school when I was 11 years old. When I was around 15 or 16, I decided to concentrate on badminton full time and moved to Sofia, away from my parents, to be a professional player.How has your Olympic Solidarity Scholarship helped you? Most of the time I use it to help with my preparations and to compete in tournaments. It is very reassuring to know that I have the support of the Olympic Solidarity Programme; it is a very good idea to help players in this way.What has been your greatest sporting achievement so far? Getting to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, reaching the 2011 All England semi-finals, and winning the European Championship silver medal in the women's doubles in 2010.What was it like for you to compete in the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004? It was so exciting for me because it was my first Olympic Games and it was a pleasure to be part of the event. I was very motivated to do as well as I possibly could.What are your targets for the London 2012 Olympic Games? I need to be in good shape, play my best game and hope the results will follow. I always try to fight for a medal and hope that one day I will earn one.What are your targets for the future? I hope to continue playing and then later become a coach or continue working within the sport in some other way.What does a typical training week consist of for you? Normally I practise twice a day - two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Depending on what stage I am in in my preparations, I also have some physical conditioning sessions. Plus I do fitness work every second day.What do you do in your spare time? Normally I spend my time with my family and my friends.Do you use social networks to keep in touch with people? Like everyone, I use Facebook to keep in touch with people. Sometimes it's not possible to keep in touch without it!Did you have any sporting heroes when you were younger? Mia Audina, Zhang Ning and Taufik Hidayat. When I started my career, these were the three names that I most remember. Both of the girls were playing at a very good level and it was a pleasure to play against them. Taufik, meanwhile, is my favourite male player.PETYA NEDELCHEVAWITH HELP FROM HER OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY SCHOLARSHIP, BULGARIA'S PETYA NEDELCHEVA WILL BE COMPETING IN HER THIRD GAMES IN LONDONINTERVIEWOlympic Solidarity is the body that ensures that talented athletes, regardless of their financial status, have an equal chance of reaching the Olympic Games and succeeding in the Olympic arena. It is responsible for administering and managing the National Olympic Committees' (NOCs') share of the revenue from the sale of broadcasting rights to the Olympic Games. Working in particular with the most disadvantaged NOCs and their Continental Associations, Olympic Solidarity uses this money to develop a range of assistance programmes. Within its total budget, USD 61 million is earmarked to provide support to athletes for the 2009-2012 Olympic Solidarity quadrennial period.OLYMPIC SOLIDARITYOLYMPIC REVIEW 67OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY