The President of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation Stanka Zlateva responded to the attacks on her by the opposition. She says that a common criminal from the transition, as he has defined himself, wants to divide the wrestling community and pit real wrestlers and champions against each other.
Here is Zlateva's position:
"When the person who was part of the management model of Bulgarian wrestling for years came out in front of the media and spoke about "unprecedented bottom", "swamp", "racism" and "discrimination", it is right to ask him a few uncomfortable questions. Because Bulgarian wrestling has not come to terms with its problems in the last year and a half. We inherited the consequences of decisions made for years, and now we are trying to change this very model.
The "coalition of naturalizations" is facing me and my team - the people who crushed Bulgarian clubs, athletes and coaches for more than 25 years. The people who turned the attraction of foreign athletes into an easy substitute for long-term work with Bulgarian children. The people who today talk about salvation, but do not give an answer why the Bulgarian school was left on the back burner for so many years.
And let no one ever try to replace the topic with accusations of racism and discrimination. It is not racism to defend Bulgarian athletes. It is not discrimination to insist that Bulgarian coaches have a worthy place in their own federation. It is not xenophobia to want to build a Bulgarian school instead of bringing in foreign athletes and specialists by the kilo.
For me, it is unacceptable for there to be cases in Bulgarian training halls in which foreign coaches arrogantly forbid speaking Bulgarian. If someone thinks this is normal, let them come out and explain it to Bulgarian children and their parents. The national federation has an obligation to preserve the Bulgarian character of our sport, not to apologize for doing so.
As for the self-proclaimed "patron" and "benefactor" of Bulgarian wrestling - let's leave the loud titles aside and look at the facts.
The documents in the federation show that the so-called "benefactors" included loans from companies associated with this "patron" to the federation itself. These documents have been handed over to the prosecutor's office. We are talking about financial relations that should be examined openly and with complete clarity for all clubs. And here the most important question arises: what exactly was the role of the person who presents himself as a "savior" when the companies associated with him provided loans to the federation, and the decisions were approved by a Board of Directors in which he himself participated?
Is this "charity"? Or is it a model in which one hand gives a loan, and the other participates in the management of the organization that receives it? When "patronage" goes through loans, and not only through free support, the public has the right to know who made the decisions, under what conditions and in whose interest.
I will not allow financial documents to be swept under the carpet with tales of "saviors" and "benefactors". And I will not accept a person associated with this model to present himself as a moral judge of the leadership that is trying to change it. The competent authorities will decide on the legal assessment of these circumstances. But the responsibility to raise the questions and protect the interests of the federation is ours.
Today, the "patron" has once again mobilized his entire entourage to return to the management of Bulgarian wrestling. And I ask: why is this enormous concern for our sport so often associated with the interests of one club - his, and not with equal support for all clubs in the federation? BF Borba is not private property. It is not an appendage of CSKA, it is not a corporate project and cannot be managed according to the interests of one person.
These are the "swamp" and the "bottom" from which we have begun to escape over the last year and a half. Not with loud words, but with work, with changing the rules and returning the focus to Bulgarian clubs and children.
We heard that they were still thinking about what to do for the U15 and U17 children. While they promise to think, we are already organizing training camps for these age groups at the full expense of BF Borba. This is concrete support for young athletes, not an election promise. Over the past year and a half, Bulgarian talents have won titles and medals - dozens. This is the result of work, preparation and belief that the Bulgarian school has a future.
I do not accept that these achievements are being devalued by people who are now returning with promises of "unification". Unification does not mean returning to old dependencies. It does not mean that everyone should remain silent to make it convenient for those who want to set the rules again.
I address Father Valio with respect for his great contribution to Bulgarian and world wrestling. He is a legend of this sport and his name deserves respect. I understand his desire to help the wrestling that has given him so much. But true unification cannot be limited to supporting one candidacy. It must mean the same rules for all clubs, real investments in Bulgarian children and clear responsibility for the decisions made over the years. I hope Father Valio will carefully consider whether the path to this unification passes through the return of the old management model. Will the Olympic, world and European champion respected by all of us allow under the guise of "unification" the intrigues of a common criminal from the transition, as he himself defines himself in an interview, to divide the wrestling community and pit real wrestlers and champions against each other. Such as this "patron" and "benefactor" has never been!
On October 17, the clubs will have to elect not just a chairman. They will have to choose between two paths - a return to a system in which influence and resources are concentrated around a few, or continuing the change that places Bulgarian clubs, coaches and competitors at the center of the federation.
I will not give up the mandate and program with which I was elected. I will not give up the fight for the Bulgarian school. I will continue to defend the right of our children to get a chance, of our coaches to be respected and of all clubs to have an equal place in Bulgarian wrestling.
Because Bulgarian wrestling does not need another self-proclaimed "benefactor". It needs fair rules, transparency and work for Bulgaria.