Grisha Ganchev sharply criticized the state of Bulgarian wrestling days before the extraordinary General Assembly of the federation, which will be held this Saturday. The press conference was also attended by the candidate for president of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation Todor Angelov, as well as legendary competitors Valentin Yordanov and Armen Nazaryan.
The former owner of CSKA described the situation in the sport as extremely difficult and expressed his dissatisfaction with the actions of the current leadership. According to him, Bulgarian wrestling is at a critical moment, and the upcoming meeting will give the clubs the opportunity to decide in which direction to continue its development.
“Our sport has reached an unprecedented low, there is nowhere else to go“, said Ganchev at the beginning of his speech. He also commented on the published position on the federation's website related to the CSKA club, questioning its motives and criticizing the aforementioned actions against the club.
Ganchev called on the club representatives to carefully consider their choices at the upcoming General Assembly. According to him, Bulgarian wrestling should not be governed by conflicts, and athletes should be given equal opportunities for development.
Ganchev defended Valentin Yordanov and Armen Nazaryan
During the press conference, Ganchev also addressed the journalists with an appeal to give the floor to Valentin Yordanov and Armen Nazaryan, whom he described as individuals with a huge contribution to Bulgarian sports.
He emphasized that Yordanov had returned to help wrestling, which had played a key role in his development as an athlete and a person. Ganchev expressed his bewilderment at the situation in the federation and stated that sport should be separated from political interests.
The former owner of CSKA also commented on the financial situation of wrestling, describing the funds available to the federation as extremely insufficient. According to him, better conditions and a clearer strategy are needed so that the competitors can fully prepare for major international tournaments.
“These children are not participating because of sick people“
Ganchev also revealed how he would support Todor Angelov if he were elected president of the federation. He spoke about a meeting with representatives of the wrestling community in Teteven, where he discussed the problems in the sport and their impact on the competitors.
According to him, the ongoing conflicts are mostly harmful to young wrestlers, whose sports careers are short and should not be put at risk due to disagreements between managers and clubs.
“These children are not participating because of sick people“, said Ganchev, commenting on the absence of competitors from important championships. He expressed regret for the attitude towards the athletes and emphasized that after such situations it is understandable that some of them would consider quitting.
Ganchev also touched on the topic of the preparation of national competitors. He gave an example of their performance at the European Championship and raised the question of what results can be achieved without prolonged centralized preparation. According to him, the wrestlers' successes show that individual work and training with personal trainers are also of great importance.
In his speech, he also defended specialist Borislav Velichkov, condemning the mocking comments directed at him. Ganchev used an ironic tone to emphasize that the qualities of a coach should be evaluated according to his professional skills, not his appearance.
The upcoming Extraordinary General Meeting on October 17 is shaping up to be an important moment for the future of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation. The candidates for the presidential post are Todor Angelov and Miroslav Gochev, and the choice of clubs will determine the direction of management in a period of serious tension in the sport.