https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/rss Mon, 07 Sep 2026 21:09:55 +0300 en hourly 1 https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1199569-sofia-mayor-volleyball-federation-president-encourage-national-team-ahead-of-eu https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1199569-sofia-mayor-volleyball-federation-president-encourage-national-team-ahead-of-eu Mon, 07 Sep 2026 20:56:58 +0300 Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev and Bulgarian Volleyball Federation (BFV) President Lyubomir Ganev visited the Bulgarian men's national volleyball team during a training session ahead of the European Championship and wished the players success. Ganev spoke with the team, while Terziev joined in the training session. "EuroVolley is an extremely important event for Sofia. Many fans will visit the city and enjoy top-level volleyball while exploring our capital," Terziev said, wishing the national team success in winning the title. Ganev thanked Sofia Municipality and Terziev for their support, saying that volleyball would unite fans across Sofia and Bulgaria in the coming days. He also called on supporters to fill Arena 8888 Sofia, stressing that "we are all one team - Bulgaria". The men's CEV EuroVolley 2026 is coming to Italy, Bulgaria, Finland and Romania on September 9-26. Six Pool B teams will play in Sofia: Bulgaria, Israel, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine. Bulgaria will play their opening match against North Macedonia at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Sport Diana Dukovska Boyan Denchev https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1199216-bulgaria-wins-two-silver-medals-at-aerobics-junior-world-championships https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1199216-bulgaria-wins-two-silver-medals-at-aerobics-junior-world-championships Sun, 06 Sep 2026 19:32:39 +0300 Bulgaria won two silver medals at the Aerobics Junior World Championships in Pamplona, Spain between September 4 and 6. In the 15-17 age-group trio event, Viktoria Krusharska, Teodora Ribarova and Kristina Kostova put in an excellent performance in an extremely strong field and won silver with a score of 18.650 points. It equalled the score of the champions, but the Bulgarian trio received one-tenth less for execution from the World Athletes 2 and therefore finished second on the podium. The aerobic gymnasts competing in the 12–14 age-group group category claimed Bulgaria's second silver medal. Nikol Stoilova, Yuzlem Kar, Kaira Martinova, Stefanie Petkova and Adelina Nekezova were leading after the qualifiers, and on Sunday they scored 17.750 points to finish second in the world. Bulgaria competed in a total of nine finals at the championships. Stefanie Lecheva and Atanas Blagoev finished an impressive fifth in the 15–17 mixed pairs event, competing against the world's best athletes. They performed strongly with their new routine and were awarded 18.300 points. The Aerobic Union Bulgaria wrote on social media: "Congratulations on a strong performance! Well done, kids! Well done to your coaches, too! You are a source of pride!" The world aerobic gymnastics championships for men and women will take place in Pamplona next week. Sport Valentin Evstatiev Iva Krasteva https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1199187-nikola-tsolov-stays-on-top-of-f2-standings-after-taking-seventh-at-monza https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1199187-nikola-tsolov-stays-on-top-of-f2-standings-after-taking-seventh-at-monza Sun, 06 Sep 2026 17:59:36 +0300 Campos Racing's Bulgarian driver Nikola Tsolov finished seventh in Sunday's Formula 2 feature race in the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza Circuit and remains at the top of the championship standings. Joshua Duerksen of Invicta Racing triumphed at Monza, having also won Saturday's sprint race. Duerksen's team-mate Rafael Camara finished second, 0.4 seconds behind, while Tsolov's Campos Racing team-mate Noel Leon took third. Tsolov leads the standings with 177 points, while Camara has moved up to second on 166. Tsolov qualified sixth in Italy but was handed three-place grid penalties for both the sprint race and the feature race. The Bulgarian made a good start on Sunday and drove cautiously throughout the race, running in eighth position for most of the contest. In the closing laps, Tsolov overtook Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak of ART Grand Prix to move up to seventh. He had a chance to challenge for an even higher finish and battled Rodin Motorsport's Alex Dunne for sixth place all the way to the chequered flag. Sport Valentin Evstatiev Kremena Mladenova https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198938-9-000-plus-attend-volleyball-libero-teodor-salparov-s-benefit-match https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198938-9-000-plus-attend-volleyball-libero-teodor-salparov-s-benefit-match Sat, 05 Sep 2026 21:38:00 +0300 More than 9,000 people attended Teodor Salparov's benefit match in Sofia's Arena 8888 on Saturday. Salparov used to play libero in Bulgaria's national volleyball team, with which he won bronze medals from the 2006 FIVB World Championship, 2007 FIVB World Cup, and 2009 CEV European Championship. He also competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, Some of the people in attendance were Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova, Minister of Youth and Sports Encho Keryazov, Minister of Culture Evtim Miloshev, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, Bulgarian Olympic Committee President Vesela Lecheva, Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev, football stars Hristo Stoichkov, Stiliyan Petrov, and Martin Petrov, as well as Bulgaria's current men's volleyball team. The match was played between the teams of the Bulgarian Stars and the World Legends in a best-of-five format, where every set was played to 15 points. The players in the Bulgarian team were Andrey Zhekov, Georgi Bratoev, Evgeni Ivanov, Hristo Tsvetanov, Svetoslav Gotsev, Boyan Yordanov, Krasimir Gaydarski, Krasimir Gaydarski, Vladimir Nikolov, Nikolay Ivanov, Viktor Yosifov, Kostadin Stoykov, Teodor's son Georgi Salparov, Tsvetan Sokolov, Teodor Todorov, Todor Aleksiev, Danail Milusev, and Nikolay Penchev. Its coaches were Radostin Stoychev, Alexander Popov, Nayden Naydenov, and Stefan Hristov. Samuele Papi, Uros Kovacevic, Jacopo Massari, Simon Tischer, Aleksandr Volkov, Rafael Pascual, Mark McGivern, Nikolay Pavlov, Sergio Santos, Aleksandar Atanasijevic, Ivan Miljkovic, Emanuele Birarelli, Michele Baranowicz, Dante Amaral, Srecko Lisinac, and Marko Podrascanin played for the World Stars while coached by Alberto Chiaparini, Alberto Giuliani, and the Bulgarian national team's coach, Gianlorenzo Blengini. The World Legends defeated the Bulgarian Stars 3-2. After the match, Salparov said: "This is a tribute to all those legends I have played with over the past 20 years. I wanted them to experience the atmosphere, too. I hope this sense of continuity will endure across generations. We will be keeping our fingers crossed for our young volleyball players. Hopefully they will bring us some joy with a medal at the European Championship." A part of the proceeds from the match will be donated to the Sunny Kids 2024 foundation. Sport Nikolay Zabov Asen Daskalov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198759-bulgaria-finishes-among-top-16-at-historic-pickleball-world-cup-debut https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198759-bulgaria-finishes-among-top-16-at-historic-pickleball-world-cup-debut Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:20:58 +0300 Bulgaria finished among the top 16 teams at the Pickleball World Cup in Da Nang, Vietnam, in its historic first appearance with an official national team. After winning three matches in the group stage, Bulgaria recorded an impressive 4-1 victory over Belgium in the round of 32. The Bulgarian team then lost 4-0 to a very strong France side in the round of 16. In their first group-stage match, Bulgaria comfortably defeated Bonaire, a Caribbean island that is part of the Netherlands, on a score of 6-0. In their second match, the Bulgarians secured a dramatic 4-3 win over Singapore, and in their final group match they defeated Peru 5-1. The participation marked an important step in the development of this racket sport in Bulgaria and in establishing the country on the international stage in what is one of the world's fastest-growing disciplines. Bulgaria's team consisted of Antoaneta Toskova, Kristin Pavlov, Maria Demireva, Martin Stanchev, Rosen Naydenov and Vasil Yazadzhiev. Stanimir Stoychev is the captain of Bulgaria's men's and women's national team (+19). Sport Valentin Evstatiev Kremena Mladenova https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198722-climber-lachezar-daskalov-earns-bronze-at-europe-youth-series-in-austria https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198722-climber-lachezar-daskalov-earns-bronze-at-europe-youth-series-in-austria Sat, 05 Sep 2026 10:32:42 +0300 Bulgaria's Lachezar Daskalov won bronze in the speed discipline at the World Climbing Europe Youth Series in Imst, Austria, on Friday. Daskalov made an excellent start for the Bulgarian team by placing third in the boys' under-17 speed finals on the first day of the competition. Earlier, he gave a robust performance in the qualification round, finishing third with a time of 6.39 seconds. Subsequently, Daskalov recorded 6.35 sec. in the round of 16 and 6.38 sec. in the quarter-final before hitting 6.06 sec. in the semifinal, where he was eliminated by just eight hundredths of a second by Moritz Mueller of Germany, who went on to win the competition. In the small final, Daskalov recorded 6.25 sec. and finished well ahead of Turkish climber Ahmet Emin Cakir to claim his second bronze medal in a Europe Series event this year. The competition continues on Saturday and Sunday with the lead discipline, where Bulgaria is represented by a team comprised of U17 girls' climbers Eva Stenkova, Ida Hristoskova and Nikol Petkova, U17 boys' athlete Georgi Merdzhanov and U19 boys' entrant Stefan Kirchev. Sport Valentin Evstatiev Kremena Mladenova https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198707-alexander-donski-makes-winning-grand-slam-debut-at-us-open https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198707-alexander-donski-makes-winning-grand-slam-debut-at-us-open Sat, 05 Sep 2026 09:15:41 +0300 Alexander Donski's debut in a grand slam tennis tournament was crowned with success. On Friday, the 28-year-old Bulgarian and Jan Choinski of Britain defeated home representatives Martin Damm and Mackenzie McDonald 7-6(5) 6-4 in 1 hour and 36 minutes in the first round of the men's doubles at the US Open in New York. Donski and Choinski entered the main draw following the withdrawal of Alejandro Tabilo (Chile) and Diego Hidalgo (Ecuador). Donski reached the biggest stage in tennis at a time when he is enjoying the strongest period of his career in doubles. He is ranked 90th on the ATP doubles list, which is also a new career high for him. He has been a long-standing member of Bulgaria's Davis Cup team. Sport Valentin Evstatiev Kremena Mladenova https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198648-bulgarian-athlete-bozhidar-saraboyukov-finishes-fourth-in-diamond-league-athleti https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198648-bulgarian-athlete-bozhidar-saraboyukov-finishes-fourth-in-diamond-league-athleti Fri, 04 Sep 2026 22:16:00 +0300 Bulgarian athlete Bozhidar Saraboyukov finished fourth in the Diamond League athletics final on Friday. Saraboyukov’s fourth attempt in the long jump event of 8 metres was also his best, which placed him behind Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou, and Switzerland’s Simon Ehammer, who took gold, silver, and bronze respectively. Sport Nikolay Zabov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198129-giant-volleyball-installed-in-central-sofia-as-countdown-to-eurovolley-2026-begi https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198129-giant-volleyball-installed-in-central-sofia-as-countdown-to-eurovolley-2026-begi Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:36:00 +0300 A giant volleyball has been installed in central Sofia’s Sveta Nedelya Square, marking the official start of the countdown to EuroVolley 2026 in the Bulgarian capital. The special installation, featuring an integrated clock, was unveiled and has begun counting down to the start of the European Volleyball Championship in Sofia. Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev and Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev symbolically launched the countdown. Bulgaria’s first match of the championship will be played on Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. at Arena 8888. The world runners-up from 2025 will face North Macedonia in their opening game. The official unveiling of the volleyball installation at Sveta Nedelya Square was attended by Vassil Terziev, Lyubomir Ganev, Bulgaria national team captain Aleks Grozdanov, head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini and his assistant Andrey Zhekov. Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev aims for the capital’s hosting of EuroVolley 2026 to create a special atmosphere across the entire city. “This clock is counting down to the first referee’s whistle, but for us it is also counting down to the anticipation of a great sporting celebration. Sofia will welcome Europe’s best volleyball players, while the Bulgarian team will take to the court in front of its home crowd. For us, hosting the championship is not simply about opening the doors of an arena. We want volleyball to be felt throughout the city – in the squares, parks and boroughs. We want our boys to feel that they are not alone. Volleyball is one of those sports where the crowd can give a team strength in its most difficult moments. Let’s give them that strength – our voices, our energy and our support from the first point to the last,” Terziev said. Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev is hoping for a strong performance from the national team at EuroVolley 2026. “This will be the biggest event in Bulgaria. We already have a basis for comparison, but the Giro d’Italia was only three days, while the European Championship in Sofia will last two weeks. Bulgaria will be volleyball, Sofia will be volleyball. I hope we can delight the thousands of fans in the arena, those watching on television and those following us through the media with good play. I hope the boys leave their hearts and souls on the court and stay healthy. We knew exactly what we were taking on. There was tremendous interest from the municipalities, partners and fans. The arena will be full for all of Bulgaria’s matches, and hopefully there will be seven of them. Tickets for the match against Poland have long been sold out. There are still around 100 tickets available for Bulgaria-Ukraine, while only five or six seats remain for Bulgaria-Portugal. The interest is enormous, and we made history by selling tickets within just 24 hours. I am sure we will play in front of a full house in every match. I hope the boys can make the fans happy,” Ganev told reporters at Sveta Nedelya Square, where the countdown to EuroVolley 2026 was symbolically launched. More than 120,000 fans are expected to attend the European Championship matches in Sofia in September. During EuroVolley 2026 in Sofia this September, sports activities will be organized in six city parks. A special fan zone will also be set up near Arena 8888, while two additional locations across the city will feature special installations where fans can watch Bulgaria’s matches in the tournament. Sport Konstantin Karagyozov Assen Daskalov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198168-burgas-to-welcome-hristo-stoichkov-for-4th-road-to-the-stars-tournament https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198168-burgas-to-welcome-hristo-stoichkov-for-4th-road-to-the-stars-tournament Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:16:00 +0300 Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov will visit Burgas on September 11 for the 4th Hristo Stoichkov – The Road to the Stars children’s football tournament, Burgas Municipality said on Friday. The event will bring together 60 young football talents from Burgas and fans of Stoichkov together in the city centre, with all participating children to receive special prizes from sports brand EA7. While the matches take place, fans will have the chance to meet Stoichkov, take photos with him, and get his autograph. The first 300 fans will also receive special gifts from Stoichkov and TriA City Centre. Organized by TriA City Centre with the support of Burgas Municipality, the tournament is part of the city’s official September sports calendar. In 2025, six Burgas football clubs took part, while Stoichkov met hundreds of fans for photos and autographs.  Sport Atanas Vassilev Filip Pavlov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198127-formula-2-leader-tsolov-finishes-fourth-in-monza-free-practice https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1198127-formula-2-leader-tsolov-finishes-fourth-in-monza-free-practice Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:37:00 +0300 Bulgarian Racing Bulls driver Nikola Tsolov finished fourth in Friday's free practice session at Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Tsolov completed nine laps on the circuit and posted a time of 1:32.486. Alex Dunne of Ireland, who is part of the Alpine Academy, was fastest in the first session of the day with a time of 1:31.957. Germany's Oliver Goethe was second, while Argentina's Nico Varrone was third. Qualifying is scheduled for 3:55 p.m. EET. The 19-year-old Tsolov leads the Formula 2 championship standings after nine rounds with 167 points, 20 ahead of Italy's Gabriele Mini. Brazil's Rafael Camara is third on 145 points, followed by Alex Dunne. Sport Kristina Ivanova Atanas Vassilev https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1197438-bulgaria-s-aya-kasabova-becomes-kitesurfing-world-champion-for-girls-for-fifth-t https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1197438-bulgaria-s-aya-kasabova-becomes-kitesurfing-world-champion-for-girls-for-fifth-t Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:18:00 +0300 Fifteen-year-old Aya Kasabova has won her fifth world title for girls in kitesurfing. In two consecutive competitions in Germany, in just two weeks, the young Bulgarian also came in third place in the overall women’s ranking in the Big Air Hydrofoil discipline. Kasabova managed to defend her world title in the girls’ under-19 category at the championships in Sankt Peter-Ording, Germany. She adds a fifth world title to her collection, making her the most successful young kitesurfer in the world. Kasabova also took part in her first World Cup competition for women in a new discipline for her – Big Air Hydrofoil in Sylt, Germany, with the Bulgarian taking the prestigious third place in the world rankings for women in this discipline as well. By the end of 2026, she will have to fight for classification in the Red Bull Megaloop Challenge and Red Bull King of the Air competitions, which are outside the World Cup rounds, but are emblematic for the kitesurfing community. Kasabova will soon turn 16, which would give her the right to participate in competitions organized by Red Bull. Sport Atanas Malakchiev Georgi Krumov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1196926-poland-s-antoni-muryj-wins-73rd-tour-of-bulgaria-as-rutger-wouters-takes-final-s https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1196926-poland-s-antoni-muryj-wins-73rd-tour-of-bulgaria-as-rutger-wouters-takes-final-s Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:46:00 +0300 Belgian cyclist Rutger Wouters of Hemus Troyan won the fifth and final stage of the 73rd Tour of Bulgaria on Wednesday, while Antoni Muryj of Poland’s Mazowsze Serce team secured overall victory in the race. Wouters proved the fastest in the final sprint over the 111-kilometre route, which started and finished in the town of Troyan. He crossed the line ahead of Stefan Verhoeff of the Netherlands and Italy’s Riccardo Biondani. Muryj, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Wednesday, began the day wearing the yellow jersey as the race leader. The Polish rider finished safely in the main peloton, preserving his advantage and sealing first place in the general classification to claim the overall title. The best-placed Bulgarian was 20-year-old Radostin Zlatev of Vassil Levski Cycling Team, who finished Wednesday with the main group and took sixth place in the general standings, 26 seconds behind the winner. Poland’s Antoni Muryj also earned the white jersey as the best young rider under the age of 23. The purple jersey for the most active rider went to Dutchman Jarri Stravers, while Simone Luca claimed the jersey awarded to the best climber. Italian team Gallina Ecotek Lucchini won the team classification. Sports Minister Encho Keryazov presented the prizes to the top finishers in the general classification, while the stage winners received their awards from Troyan Mayor Donka Mihaylova. Sport Konstantin Karagyozov BTA special correspondent Georgi Krumov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1196680-bozhidar-saraboyukov-to-compete-in-diamond-league-athletics-final https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1196680-bozhidar-saraboyukov-to-compete-in-diamond-league-athletics-final Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:55:00 +0300 Bozhidar Saraboyukov will compete in the Diamond League athletics final on September 4 (Friday). In Brussels, the 2025 European indoor champion will compete in the final of the most prestigious athletics series alongside all the elite athletes in the long jump. The bronze medallist at the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham took part in every tournament this season that featured the event. He recorded three podium finishes, including a historic victory in Rome. Saraboyukov will face two world champions – two-time Olympic gold medallist from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 and 2023 Budapest world champion Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece), and 2019 Doha world champion Tajay Gayle (Jamaica). The starting list also includes Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist Wayne Pinnock (Jamaica), 2025 Apeldoorn European indoor silver medallist Simon Ehammer (Switzerland), as well as U20 world record holder Jorge Odelin (Cuba), who is just 19, and Yani Sampson (Belgium). The Brussels competition will take place on September 4 at 19:30, with coverage on Max One. The President of the Bulgarian Athletics Federation Georgi Pavlov will be a special guest on the studio programme, which begins 15 minutes earlier. Sport Iva Krasteva https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1196266-manager-of-bulgaria-s-women-s-national-volleyball-team-with-mixed-feelings-after https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1196266-manager-of-bulgaria-s-women-s-national-volleyball-team-with-mixed-feelings-after Tue, 01 Sep 2026 20:52:00 +0300 Dimo Tonev, manager of Bulgaria’s women’s national volleyball team, has mixed feelings following the end of Euro 2026 but sees the team making progress. Bulgaria reached the round of 16, where they lost 0-3 to world and Olympic champions Italy. Tonev commented on the situation in the team in the absence of head coach Marcello Abbondanza. “My impressions of the team’s performance are mixed. The important thing is that we managed to get through the group stage and qualify for the round of 16. That was important for the girls, for the federation, and for everyone. There is certainly some disappointment with our performance in some matches, but we have to understand that there is a certain logic to volleyball. It means that when you play against stronger teams and more accomplished players, it is quite difficult to compete with them. There may be some disappointment over the match against Greece, but we can see that Greece is playing very well in this tournament, and the same is true of Czechia. We had some good matches against strong opponents. “More importantly, there was a great deal of desire among the girls who were in the squad. We have to give them credit and thank them for the effort they put in. We can see progress, both individually among the players and as a team. This year the team was completely different and considerably younger, but we should also note that the players who want to be here were the ones who played. We spent far too much time focusing on those who do not want to play for Bulgaria,” Tonev said. Experienced player Zhana Todorova described returning to the Volleyball Nations League as the team’s most important objective. “Our goal was to get out of the groups and enter the better bracket. The match against Greece was the obstacle standing between us and that goal. They were a beatable team, and that was the match we experienced most painfully at the championship. I am disappointed about it. My role is to make sure the negative emotions do not prevail. The atmosphere in the Nations League is different. The future of our team is in this tournament. Our number one goal is to climb back into it as quickly as possible,” Todorova said. Sport Asen Daskalov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195874-world-champion-stiliana-nikolova-receives-golden-rose-from-tourism-minister-il https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195874-world-champion-stiliana-nikolova-receives-golden-rose-from-tourism-minister-il Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:47:00 +0300 Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov met with Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation President Iliana Raeva and world clubs champion Stiliana Nikolova Tuesday to congratulate them on their outstanding achievements at the World Championships in Frankfurt, Germany. The meeting featured a special symbolic gesture, with Dimitrov presenting Nikolova with a "Golden Rose" as a sign of recognition for her achievements and for the way she represents Bulgaria around the world with talent, class and presence. The Minister also extended a special invitation to Nikolova to take part in a campaign promoting Bulgaria as a tourist destination. The gymnast accepted the invitation, and after learning that she speaks several languages, the minister suggested that one of her messages promoting Bulgaria could also be delivered in Arabic. During the meeting, the Minister expressed interest in the gymnasts’ training and competition programmes, as well as their recovery, and assured his guests that he was always ready to provide assistance within his capabilities, the federation said. Nikolova’s personal coach, Valentina Ivanova, was also invited to the meeting but is currently on holiday abroad. Sport Petya Dikova Iva Krasteva https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195840-shumen-to-host-2nd-balkan-air-sports-championship-september-9-12 https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195840-shumen-to-host-2nd-balkan-air-sports-championship-september-9-12 Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:04:36 +0300 Shumen will host the 2nd Balkan Air Sports Championship from September 9-12, marking the event’s first edition in Bulgaria, the municipal press centre said on Tuesday. Around 120 competitors from nine countries will take part in parachuting, paragliding, ultralight aircraft flying and aeromodelling, with Bulgaria represented in every discipline. Most outdoor events will be held at the airfield near Gradishte village, including parachuting, target-landing paragliding and ultralight flying, while aeromodelling competitions will take place at Arena Shumen. A "Super Athlete" title will be awarded to the competitor participating in the most events. The closing ceremony and awards will be held on September 12, with September 13 reserved as an additional competition day in case of bad weather.  Admission is free, with designated spectator areas at Gradishte airfield. The event is organized by the Bulgarian National Aero Club with the support of Shumen Municipality, Sky-Shumen Air Sports Club and the Shumen Regional Administration. Sport BTA Correspondent Stanimir Savov Filip Pavlov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195672-grigor-dimitrov-exits-us-open-in-first-round https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195672-grigor-dimitrov-exits-us-open-in-first-round Tue, 01 Sep 2026 10:39:00 +0300 Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov dropped out of the US Open Tennis Championships after losing to Australia's Alexei Popyrin 6-3 3-6 2-6 4-6 in the men's singles first round at the grand slam tournament in New York. The match lasted just over two and a half hours. After a delay because of rain, it started brilliantly for the 35-year-old Bulgarian, who took the opening set with a break in the sixth game. Dimitrov hit five aces and made three double faults in the first set. He was unable to maintain his level on serve. At the start of the second set, Popyrin and Dimitrov exchanged breaks in consecutive games, before the Australian secured another break in the eighth game, when Dimitrov had two chances to close it out while leading 40-15. Popyrin raised his level further in the third set, winning five games in a row to take it 6-2. In what proved to be the final set, the Australian moved 5-1 ahead and, although Dimitrov launched one final charge to cut the deficit to 4-5, he could not complete the comeback. The Bulgarian finished with 14 double faults, just 51% of first serves landing in, and nine aces. He was significantly behind Popyrin in all three statistics. In the second round of the US Open, Popyrin will face No. 25 seed Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, who beat Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (7), 6-3. With his three consecutive victories in qualifying and his appearance in the US Open first round, Dimitrov will climb to around 130th in the world rankings after the tournament. He is currently one place ahead of Popyrin in the live rankings. Career-wise, Dimitrov is the highest-ranked Bulgarian male tennis player in history, having taken the No. 3 spot on the ATP list in 2017. He reached the US Open semifinals in 2019. Sport Valentin Evstatiev Georgi Krumov https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195534-swiss-cyclist-guillaume-haldimann-wins-third-stage-of-73rd-tour-of-bulgaria https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195534-swiss-cyclist-guillaume-haldimann-wins-third-stage-of-73rd-tour-of-bulgaria Mon, 31 Aug 2026 20:51:30 +0300 Swiss cyclist Guillaume Haldimann of the Humard VP team won the third stage of the 73rd Tour of Bulgaria, a 106.2-kilometre ride from Sliven to Pavel Banya. Haldimann crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 24 seconds, the same time recorded by the main group. The riders completed the stage at an average speed of more than 50 km/h. Haldimann finished first in front of the Pavel Banya Municipal Administration building, followed by Italy’s Samuel Quaranta (Gragnano Sporting Club) and France’s Evan Jullian (Martigues SC – Payden & Rygel). Among the Bulgarian riders, the best result was recorded by Koycho Shivikov (Pomorie Gabrovo), who finished 14th with the same time as the winner. Mihajlo Stolic (Bahrain Victorious Development Team) still holds the yellow jersey. The Serbian national finished ninth in Monday’s stage and retains a six-second lead over Haldimann, who moved up to second place overall. Italy’s Giosue Crescioli (Gallina Ecotek Lucchini) is third, 10 seconds behind Stolic. Among the Bulgarian riders, the best-placed contenders heading into the final two stages are Borislav Hadzhistoyanov (Vitosha Cycling Team), Radostin Zlatev (PSKK Vassil-Levski) and Gabriel Grozev (Pomorie Gabrovo). The fourth stage of the Tour will take place on Tuesday, covering 104.7 kilometres from Pavel Banya to Troyan. The route will take the cyclists over the Beklemeto mountain pass. Sport BTA correspondent Pavlina Dudeva https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195233-bulgaria-wins-world-title-overall-champion-s-cup-silver-at-calisthenics-worlds https://www.bta.bg/en/news/sport/1195233-bulgaria-wins-world-title-overall-champion-s-cup-silver-at-calisthenics-worlds Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:33:00 +0300 Bulgarian national competitors in calisthenics and street workout won a world title, the overall world champion's cup, a silver medal and six more top-eight finishes at the World Championship held in Riga, Latvia on August 13-15. Bulgaria was represented by 11 competitors – Kristian Parvanov, Simeon Mihaylov, Stoyan Banov, Ilian Feodorov, Georgi Dimitrov, Elena Lyubenova, Atanas Atanasov, Daya Todorova, Andrey Andreev, Alexander Alexandrov and Pavlin Despotov. Bulgaria's biggest success came from Banov, who won the world title in the men's strength discipline in the 80 kg category and also took the overall world champion's cup. Andreev also put in an excellent performance, winning a silver medal in the men's strength discipline in the over-90 kg category. Other Bulgarian competitors who finished among the world's best were: Ilian Feodorov – fourth place, freestyle, men's over 90 kg; Daya Todorova – fifth place in the final, endurance, women's open category; Atanas Atanasov – fifth place, power, men's over 90 kg; Simeon Mihaylov – sixth place in the final, endurance, men's over 80 kg; Elena Lyubenova – seventh place, power, women's open category; Pavlin Despotov – eighth place, power, men's veterans, open category. A total of 214 athletes from 52 countries competed at the World Championship in the three main disciplines – freestyle, power and endurance. Calisthenics and street workout are the newest disciplines within the structure of the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation. The development of the sport is overseen by Federation board member Tsvetan Georgiev and Bulgarian and world gymnastics legend Yordan Yovchev. The success in Riga comes a year after the 2025 World Championship in Sofia, where Bulgaria also put in a strong performance. In front of a home crowd, Jasmina Svilenova won the world title, establishing herself as one of Bulgaria's leading competitors in the sport. The next major event for Bulgaria's representatives will be the national calisthenics and street workout championship final on September 19 in Sofia's North Park, held as part of the Sofia – European Capital of Sport initiative. The event will also form part of the selection and preparation process for the athletes ahead of the 2027 World Championship, which will again be held in Riga. Sport Kristina Ivanova Iva Krasteva