site.btaBulgarian Olympic Committee President-Elect Says 2026 Winter Olympics Were among Most Successful in Country's History

Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) President-elect Vesela Lecheva Saturday described the performance of Bulgarian athletes at the Milano Cortina Olympics as one of the most successful in the country's Winter Games history.

Bulgarian athletes won two bronze medals — Tervel Zamfirov in alpine snowboarding and Lora Hristova in biathlon. The only Winter Games in which Bulgarian athletes won more medals were 2002 Winter Olympics, where they earned three.

“This was one of our most successful Winter Olympics,“ she said. “Our athletes made us proud of their achievements. We must acknowledge that Bulgaria competed at a very high level. The very fact that our athletes were competitive with athletes from countries like Germany, France, and Sweden — some of the strongest in winter sports — makes us feel among the best and most successful at these Olympic Games,” Lecheva said.

Earlier in the day, she watched the final Bulgarian participation at the Games in the women’s 12.5 km biathlon mass start, where Hristova was in contention for another medal until her final shooting stage, in which two misses cost her a chance at the podium.

”We saw a perfect race. The last shooting, which was the most important, kept us from the medals,” Lecheva said. She added that a bit more tactical approach would have helped, but she is confident that Hristova will bring joy in future competitions. “She has a bright future and enormous potential. I wish her success,“ the BOC President said. She also wished success to Milena Todorova, who placed 20th in the event. “They are athletes with perspective and a future, and we must give them the opportunity to shine in upcoming competitions,” Lecheva added.