Vesela Lecheva hopes that the legal saga related to the Bulgarian Olympic Committee will now be just a bad memory. The newly registered BOC chairman described the process in question in the last year and two months as a nightmare for the entire Olympic movement.
In the program “Arena Sport“ on BNT, Lecheva spoke about the new goals for the leadership of the sports institution and what needs to be done as soon as possible.
“No one expected such a development of the situation on March 19, 2025. You know, the entire General Assembly was held in front of all the media. We parted ways, wishing success to Mrs. Kostadinova. After that, everything turned into a very bad and difficult nightmare for the entire sports community. Of course, also for the entire sports movement. One year and two months later, everything is behind us and behind our backs. I hope this will remain a bad memory, we look only forward and this shameful period will never be repeated“, were her first words.
When asked what the first thing she wants to do at the head of the BOC would be, she answered as follows:
“If it were March 20, I would have to start with what I presented as a program and platform to my colleagues. Unfortunately, we were forced to engage in purely everyday activities and actions. You may have heard, employees have not received salaries for more than 4 months. Living conditions are rather harsh. We found an absolutely untidy building and chaos. Our first steps will be in terms of creating a much better working atmosphere, conducive to work. Such as the BOC and the entire sports community deserve. I hope that we will adopt the new structure of the next executive bureau as quickly as possible. Of course, the organization has been operating since January 1 without a budget, neither from the IOC nor from the Ministry of Sports, not even one has been submitted. A budget has yet to be adopted, which we will present to the IOC and the Ministry of Sports. All this requires a very serious pace in order to make up for the lost time of a year and two months“, specified the chairman of the Bulgarian Shooting Union.
„The International Olympic Committee accepted the end of the saga with great relief. Back in May last year, they came out with their definition, examining the entire situation in Bulgaria. The IOC showed with these decisions and the way it acted this year that it is one of the most influential sports organizations in the world, because its entire management is based on serious principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter, which are upheld by every single leadership. We maintain communication, they are extremely relieved that this saga is over for them as well. They wished us success, I last heard from them two days ago. In the future, we will have conversations and discussions of a different nature about sports in Bulgaria“, noted one of the legends in the native sport.
What exactly helped the newly registered BOC chairman to endure this whole saga?
„I received many congratulations from people about my registration. They told me that if they were in my place, they would have given up. I did not give up not only because of my personal ambitions and because I received enormous support from the entire public in Bulgaria. I received support from my colleagues, in the end, I really want the BOC to work in a way that everyone can be proud of and that its influence can be felt in Bulgaria, because we have a lot to show. There is a lot to work on and to build. I have said that the BOC is a natural partner of every government and the leadership of the sports ministry. These are my expectations and wishes“, said Lecheva.