site.btaNasar Calls for State Action as Bulgaria Faces Possible Olympic, World Championships Ban in Weightlifting

Olympic, world and European weightlifting champion Karlos Nasar called on institutions to intervene to help break the deadlock in the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation (BWF).

On Thursday, Nasar received the Athlete of the Month award for April for his 2026 European Weightlifting Championships title in Batumi, Georgia. However, he warned that participation in the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships in China in the fall is still uncertain due to the dysfunctional federation. The BWF cannot start work because the new management, headed by Asen Zlatev, cannot be registered since his election has been appealed in court by coach Plamen Bratoychev, and funding cannot be obtained because the still-acting federation President Stefan Botev has not signed off on the report on the funds spent last year.

"The situation in the federation is not pleasant at all, but we are doing everything possible to change this. The ball is not in our court and our hands are tied. I hope that the institutions will soon step in with assistance. I believe that they will do so, because what is happening is not right. I am not the only one who is deprived of the opportunity to participate in competitions, the other competitors are too. If we miss many competitions, we will not be able to participate in the Olympic Games. Instead of the whole world respecting us, the whole world will laugh at us," Nasar said. "All our work is going down the drain," he added.

His manager Nikolay Zheynov said that nothing has been happening in recent months. "Yes, there was a change of the management, but nothing is happening. This knot in the federation has been in place for 5-6 months. Either the Inspectorate, the Youth and Sports Ministry, or the National Revenue Agency, someone needs to take action. State institutions need to take a stand on the issue," Zheynov said.

He added that three countries have shown interest in adding Nasar to their teams, and Nasar himself said that a change of federation is not ruled out, although his desire is to continue competing for Bulgaria. The weightlifter will begin training on his own in Devin starting Monday. He is currently undergoing various tests in Sofia, and "the results show that I can become world champion again," Nasar said.