site.btaParliamentary Sports Committee Chair Stoychev: Bulgaria Must Ensure Prominent Athletes Can Represent Country at Major Events

Speaking to reporters in the parliamentary lobby on Thursday, Progressive Bulgaria MP and Committee on Youth and Sports Chair Petar Stoychev said that the state must do everything possible to ensure that prominent athletes represent Bulgaria at major international sporting events.

Stoychev was commenting on a Facebook post published on Wednesday by Bulgarian chess player Nurgyul Salimova, in which she warned that Bulgaria risks losing not only her but also many of its other chess talents. 

Salimova’s remarks come amid an impending sanction from the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which has announced that from July 1 it will no longer allow Bulgarian players to participate in official events and will cease recognizing FIDE-rated tournaments organized in Bulgaria because of the ongoing dispute over chess federation licensing in the country.

FIDE recognizes only the Bulgarian Sports Chess Federation as the legitimate national federation and its official member organization. However, the state-issued license governing chess in Bulgaria is currently held by the Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022. To date, the government has not taken any concrete measures to resolve the issue, despite warnings about the potential sanctions having been issued as early as the end of last year. In her post, Salimova said she currently does not know whether Bulgaria will be able to participate in the Chess Olympiad in September.

"We cannot afford for Nurgyul to miss this event," Stoychev said.

"This is a long-standing problem that has existed in Bulgarian chess since 2013. At one point there were five federations, not just two," he said.

"This issue has been on the agenda for nearly 13 years, not only in Bulgarian chess but also in Bulgarian weightlifting and a number of other sports organizations," he added.

"We may need to revise the Physical Education and Sports Act, because it contains shortcomings that should be discussed at an expert level," Stoychev noted.

"The situation will be analyzed, we will gather all the relevant information, and examine the options currently available," Stoychev said. He added that "it is high time for the people involved in chess to shake hands and for the federations to put aside at least some of their egos, because it is the young players who are suffering."