site.btaBulgarian Badminton Federation Head Hails Historic European Team Title as Breakthrough for Eastern Europe

Dr Volodya Zlatev, President of the Bulgarian Badminton Federation, expressed great satisfaction with Bulgaria’s historic victory at the European Women’s Team Badminton Championship in Istanbul, Turkiye. Zlatev is currently serving as head of mission of Bulgaria’s Olympic delegation for the 25th Winter Olympic Games in Cortina-Milano 2026.

“Emotionally, we are at the limit of our strength. No one expected the Bulgarian team to win the title,” Zlatev said in an interview for BTA. He recalled that after the bronze medal in Basel and the silver in Kazan ten years ago – both times losing to Denmark – expectations had been modest, particularly given Denmark’s record of 22 European titles. “No one expected a country from Eastern Europe to win gold for the first time in what I would call an Anglo-Saxon sport, traditionally dominated by Denmark, England and Germany. And on the 60th anniversary of Bulgarian badminton, our golden girls brought us the gold medals,” he added.

Zlatev said the team drew inspiration from the Olympic spirit. “I told them that we are carrying the Olympic spirit and Olympic success from here in Italy on their wings. We gave them courage – myself and my team, together with head coach Petya Nedelcheva, strength and conditioning coach Yanislav Petkov and the rest of the staff. I believe we instilled confidence in them to achieve this historic success,” he noted.

He said a special ceremony will be organized in honour of the achievement. The players were due to remain in Istanbul for several hours before returning to Sofia by cars provided by the federation. A press conference will be held upon their arrival, followed by an official celebration of the medals and the trophy.

According to Zlatev, the triumph marks a breakthrough not only for Bulgaria but also for Eastern Europe. He noted that badminton has seen growing popularity in recent years, pointing to the full 12,000-seat Adidas Arena during the Paris Olympics. “The fact that we defeated France 4-1, beat hosts Turkiye, won 5-0 against the Czech Republic and now overcame Denmark – multiple Olympic and world medallists – puts us firmly on the map of world badminton,” he said.

Zlatev also highlighted Bulgaria’s consistent Olympic participation in racket sports since the Barcelona 1992 Games and described the title as an achievement for the Balkans and the wider Balkan badminton community, where he serves as secretary general.

He extended special thanks to head coach Petya Nedelcheva-Hranova. “She was the driving force and the ideologist of this success. In individual sports it is difficult to build cohesion, but she managed to unite the team and transfer a champion’s spirit. She has been world No. 3 and knows what it takes to succeed,” Zlatev said. He wished the players further success and thanked everyone involved in the achievement.