site.btaIOC Provisionally Recognizes Lecheva's Election as BOC Head, BOC Attributes Decision to Innuendo, Diplomatic Pressure

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sent a letter on Saturday to the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) regarding what the developments after the presidential elections in the local organisation on 19 March. The letter states that president-elect Vesela Lecheva and the newly elected BOC leadership will be the only persons entitled to represent the BOC to the IOC, within the Olympic Movement and at all IOC-recognised events and Games.

“We have carefully reviewed the situation and would like to confirm that the IOC has provisionally recognised the results of the BOC Elective General Assembly on March 19, 2025, in particular the election of Ms Vesela Lecheva as the new BOC President and all members of the BOC Executive Board,” the letter reads.

"We note with regret that a number of lawsuits have been filed in Bulgaria since the General Assembly, which have created unnecessary confusion and which may take several months to settle. We were not aware of any specific issue/objection before or during the General Assembly and were not aware of the underlying reasons why the sovereign decisions of the BOC General Assembly are now being challenged at the local level," it adds.

"We understand that all decisions made by the newly elected BOC leadership will have to be temporarily re-signed/approved by the outgoing BOC President [Stefka Kostadinova] as a formality due to these ongoing legal actions. As agreed, we trust that these legal formalities will be carried out in full harmony, with common sense and in good faith, so that the newly elected BOC leadership can commence work without further delay, in the best interests of the BOC and Bulgarian athletes. If there is any problem or lack of cooperation during this transition period, the IOC will need to review the situation, which may expose the BOC to additional measures or sanctions," IOC added.

The BOC responded by saying: “This development is the result of intensive and consistent activity that the Bulgarian Olympic Committee has already warned about on several occasions - unofficial communications, innuendo and diplomatic pressure aimed at pre-empting the decisions of the Bulgarian court and substituting external will for internal order. This is a path that leads not to stability but to delegitimising the principles on which Olympism is built."

"It is important to clarify that this letter has no legal effect under Bulgarian law and does not replace the decision of the court, which is the only authority with jurisdiction over entries in the register of non-profit legal entities. This development comes in the context of a series of warnings expressed publicly by the BOC about existing pressures and attempts at pre-legitimation through media and unofficial channels. Such an approach, especially when it anticipates the pronouncement of the court, cannot be perceived as institutionally binding," the BOC added.

"The Bulgarian Olympic Committee has not violated a single point of the Olympic Charter. There has been no state interference, no abuse, no grounds for retaliation. There is a judicial procedure that is conducted legally, openly and with respect for each party," its response read.

On Friday and Saturday Lecheva and her predecessor BOC acting president Stefka Kostadinova exchanged accusations of exerting pressure over each other's camps.