Bulgarian Olympic Committee leadership crisis ends after court appeals dismissed

Vesela Lecheva was registered in the Commercial Register as President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC), her legal team said.

During the BOC Elective General Assembly on March 19, 2025, a new leadership team headed by Lecheva was elected but had not yet been registered due to court appeals.

On May 17, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it had provisionally recognized the results of the Elective General Assembly, confirming that Lecheva and her team were the only individuals authorised to represent the BOC before the IOC, within the Olympic Movement and at all IOC-recognised events and Games, CE Report quotes BTA.

The formal procedure was completed after all lawsuits against the Assembly’s decisions were either dismissed or withdrawn. This brought a definitive end to the legal saga involving the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, which had lasted for more than a year. It led to the suspension of funding from the IOC and the Sports Ministry, as well as a serious institutional and reputational crisis for the 100-year-old non-governmental organization.

“This crisis lasted a long time, but the new leadership never stopped working, not even for a moment, despite the difficult circumstances in which it had to operate. During these months, we received unprecedented public support, which was our greatest motivation to continue standing up for truth, justice and fair play. The past year also brought us great joy through our Olympic heroes and all the young sporting stars who are building a new Bulgaria,” Lecheva said.

The BOC President also outlined the first steps facing the new leadership - holding a meeting of the Executive Bureau, reviewing the financial situation of the Olympic headquarters, and adopting a budget and programmes.

“We are inheriting a difficult situation, which we will first share with the members of our organization and then with the wider public. We will adhere to the principles of transparent and good governance, the commitment on which we earned the trust of our sporting family a year ago,” Lecheva added.

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