site.btaLora Hristova Shines as One of Olympic Solidarity Programme's Most Successful Athletes at 2026 Winter Olympics

Bronze medallist in the women’s 15 km individual biathlon event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Lora Hristova, is among the most successful athletes supported by the Olympic Solidarity programme, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee reported on Friday.

According to the programme’s daily reports, the Bulgarian athlete has been a scholarship recipient over the past four years.

The 22-year-old Hristova is one of the sensations of the Winter Olympics. At the international press centre in Antholz-Anterselva, German journalists expressed amazement at how she managed to go from finishing last in the sprint at the previous Winter Games in Beijing 2022 to reaching the podium in Milano-Cortina.

The Olympic Solidarity programme is a key initiative of the International Olympic Committee, redistributing revenue from television rights to provide financial support to athletes and National Olympic Committees.

At Milano-Cortina 2026, 249 athletes from 74 nationalities received funding from the programme and earned Olympic quotas thanks to Olympic Solidarity support. During the qualification period, 449 athletes from 90 National Olympic Committees were financially supported.

For the 2025–2028 period, the IOC approved an unprecedented budget to further strengthen these successful programmes. A total of USD 650 million has been allocated for the four-year cycle - a 10% increase compared to the previous cycle. Individual athlete scholarships have also been increased to a minimum of six per country, up from five.

For the current cycle, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee decided to submit the names of 10 athletes, allowing more Bulgarian competitors the opportunity to receive scholarships for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games.