site.btaPresident Radev Confers State Honours on Six Leading Public and Scientific Figures

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev Tuesday awarded state honours to six Bulgarians for their contributions in various areas of public life, science, and sports. The ceremony took place at the President’s administration building.

The Order of the Balkan Range, First Class, was conferred on Bogdan Nikolov, Iliana Raeva, Elko Hazan and Rahamin Shekerdzhiyski. The Order of St Cyril and St Methodius, First Class, was awarded to Stefan Hadjitodorov, and the Order of Civil Merit, Second Class, to Vasil Dolapchiev.

Bogdan Nikolov was awarded for his outstanding contribution in the field of sports in Bulgaria. He took up motorcycling in 1972. His career can be divided into two periods: track motorcycle racing and heading the Bulgarian Motorcycle Federation. During his racing career, Nikolov went from being a sports club mechanic to a world champion in 1992. In his active racing years, from 1973 to 1992, he won sixteen national championship titles and five international ones.

Iliana Raeva was also awarded for her outstanding contribution in the field of sports. During her career, she has had a number of achievements as a gymnast, founder of the first private rhythmic gymnastics club, coach of the national rhythmic gymnastics team and Chair of the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation’s governing body.

Architect Elko Hazan was awarded for his work in connection with Bulgaria’s contribution to the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during WWII. Hazan graduated from the English Language High School in Sofia and obtained a degree in Architecture. Following his retirement as an architect, Hazan has been devoted to asserting the truth about the rescue of Bulgarian Jews from Nazi death camps. He has initiated and organized conferences and round tables, publishing of books, and media coverage.

Pharmacist Rahamin Shekerdzhiyski, known as the "father of Benalgin", is a distinguished pharmaceutical scientist with over 66 years of experience. He has developed over 80 medicinal products, 30 of which have been successfully implemented in practice, including the pain relieving pill Benalgin.

Stefan Hadjitodorov was awarded for his contributions in the field of science. He graduated in Automatics and Telemechanics from the Higher institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Sofia in 1978. A year later, he graduated as a mathematical engineer from the Institute’s Centre of Applied Mathematics. He was elected a corresponding member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) in the field of engineering in 2014. Since January 2021, he has served as the Vice-President of the BAS.

Vasil Dolapchiev was awarded for his contribution to the development and implementation of a state policy on the rights of people with disabilities. As a long-standing Chair of the Union of the Blind’s (UoB) governing body, Dolapchiev has greatly contributed to cementing the status of the UoB as a prestigious organization of high international standing through his active support for visually impaired people.