site.btaSports Federation Awards: Sports Icarus Goes to Swimmer Petar Mitsin, Best Team to Bulgarian Women's Chess Team

Swimmer Petar Mitsin is awarded the Sports Icarus 2023 by the Bulgarian Sports Foundation. He was chosen for the award for his two medals at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Netanya in September,  three medals at the European Junior Swimming Championships in Belgrade in July, where he also broke the world record in the 800 m freestyle event.
 
Mitsin thus covered the Olympic standards for the Paris Games in 2024 in the 400 m and 800 m freestyle series.

The Bulgarian Sports Foundation will confer awards in eight categories on December 14.

The national women's chess team is awarded in the Best Team category. They won the European title at the European Team Championship in Budva in November.

Basketball player Aleksandar Vezenkov, who won the Sports Icarus 2022, is now awarded for impressive performance. In the summer, he was named EuroLeague Most Valuable Player for the 2022-2023 season, and then he joined NBA's Sacramento Kings. 

Also awarded in the Impressive Performance category is sabre fencer Yoana Ilieva, who in July won Bulgaria's first medal in world championships by snagging the bronze at the World Fencing Championships in Milan.

Bozhidar Saraboyukov (long and high jump) and Kalina Boyadzhieva (taekwondo and kickboxing) each get the Young and Talented Sportsperson award. 

Kayaker Yoana Georgieva is awarded for debuting in a world sport. 

The Champion's Longetivity award goes to sport shooter Antoaneta Kostadinova. 

In the For Contributions category, the award goes to Ivet Goranova (karate), Radoslav Rosenov (boxing), Simeon Nikolov (volleyball), Boryana Kalein (rhythmic gymnastics), Panayot Dimitrov (wrestling), and Ivan Harkov (sambo).