site.btaTurmoil in Bulgarian Olympic Committee: Court Blocks Lecheva’s Presidency Amid Legal Dispute

Olympic shooting medallist Vesela Lecheva was elected Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) President after a secret ballot at the General Assembly of the organization on March 19, defeating world high jump legend Stefka Kostadinova by 48:33 votes. Kostadinova had led the BOC since 2005 and was seeking to be re-elected for a sixth consecutive term. Despite Lecheva’s election as BOC President, the procedure for electing a new BOC leadership is far from complete.

On Monday, the Sofia City Court suspended Lecheva’s entry in the Commercial Register, sports lawyer Georgi Gradev said on Facebook. Gradev published a ruling by a panel of the Sofia City Court chaired by Elena Shipkovenska, made in a closed session following a complaint from individual BOC member Zhivko Vangelov against the decisions of the BOC General Assembly on March 19. The court panel determined that Vangelov provided sufficient evidence and that the request to halt the registration process was justified and should be upheld.

Subsequently, another panel of the Sofia City Court, chaired by Rayna Stefanova, also held a closed session on Monday and issued a similar ruling in response to a complaint by another individual member of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, Plamen Krastev, against the decisions of the BOC General Assembly.

In total, three complaints were filed against Lecheva’s election – by Vangelov, Krastev, and Belcho Goranov, the outgoing BOC Secretary General. Interestingly, Goranov himself organized the BOC General Assembly on March 19. Even more curiously, on the day of the assembly, Goranov, who had long worked alongside Kostadinova, initially announced that he would remain in his position under the new President Lecheva. However, on Monday, he reaffirmed his allegiance to Kostadinova’s team in a media statement.

"Dear sports friends, I would like to inform you of my decision to remain in my position as Secretary General of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) as part of Mrs. Stefka Kostadinova’s team. Following the BOC General Election Assembly on March 19, 2025, I was invited by Mrs. Vesela Lecheva to continue as the committee’s Secretary General. I thank her for the high regard she has shown me. I also want to state that the ongoing work related to the BOC’s activities will be carried out in full and in the best interest of the committee," Goranov’s statement to BTA reads.

Later in the day, Lecheva expressed surprise at Goranov’s decision. "I am surprised to learn that Mr. Belcho Goranov has decided to leave his position as BOC Secretary General, a role he was elected to by the General Assembly on March 19, 2025. He announced his resignation in a letter to the media today [Monday], just hours after filing a complaint against the very General Assembly he organized. Contrary to his claims, this complaint likely aims to delay the BOC’s work and cause disruption just a year before the Winter Olympics. Mr. Goranov personally asked me to let him remain as Secretary General after the Assembly delegates elected me. I agreed for the sake of continuity, even though he was never part of my team. At the next Executive Bureau meeting, I will propose that Mr. Goranov’s resignation is accepted and a new Secretary General is selected," Lecheva told the media.

Given the current situation, Goranov will continue performing his duties as BOC Secretary General until the new leadership is officially registered in the Commercial Register – a process that will be delayed due to Kostadinova’s team challenging Lecheva’s election in court.

The legal dispute raises questions, as Kostadinova had publicly acknowledged her defeat and congratulated Lecheva after the vote. "In my speech, I said that this is a competition, and the better candidate will win. This is democracy – people voted, and it means her [Lecheva’s] candidacy was indeed stronger. I am not disappointed, just a little tired. Life goes on, and it doesn’t end just because I wasn’t re-elected as President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. I have a family, a son, and my own business, but I will continue to help however I can," Kostadinova said after the election.

The Sofia City Court’s refusal to register Vesela Lecheva and her team as the new BOC leadership can be appealed to the Sofia Court of Appeals within a week of its publication in the Commercial Register and the Non-Profit Legal Entities Register.