The long-standing legal blockade in the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation (BFWT) has finally ended, after the last club withdrew its complaint against the electoral meeting from the end of 2025, reports the newspaper “Sega“. This paves the way for the newly elected president – Olympic champion from Moscow 1980 Assen Zlatev, to officially take office and unblock the work of the headquarters.
The battle for governance began in December 2025, when Zlatev was elected by a majority, but three clubs close to the previous leadership of Stefan Botev challenged the election in court. After the withdrawal of the first two complaints, the last obstacle was the claim of the Sliven club “Hristo Bachvarov“. Its chairman Plamen Bratoychev, however, confirmed that after a joint meeting between the clubs, a decision was made to bury the tomahawks so that the federation could begin normal functioning.
In parallel, Stefan Botev is about to file for bankruptcy due to accumulated debts – a standard procedure also undertaken by Anton Kodjabashev in 2024, in order to protect against future legal claims.
The denouement comes at an extremely important moment – just two weeks before the start of the World Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, China (October 27 - November 8). The withdrawal of the claims allows the BWF to receive the appropriate state funding from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and to ensure the peaceful preparation and participation of the national competitors.