A delegation led by Vessela Letcheva, President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC), is on a three-day visit to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne at the invitation of President Kirsty Coventry.
Letcheva is accompanied by two members of the BOC Executive Bureau – Vice President and Rector of the National Sports Academy Prof. Krasimir Petkov, and World Cup snowboard champion Radoslav Yankov, a four-time Olympian who also serves as an athletes’ representative.
On Monday, the visit’s schedule begins early in the morning with an official welcome for the Bulgarian representatives by the IOC’s senior leadership. The Bulgarian delegation will hold a series of high-level working meetings. The talks will be hosted personally by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, accompanied by her chief of staff, Ms. Jan Patterson.
The main focus of the talks will be on the strategic partnership between the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) and the International Olympic Movement. The program includes discussions with IOC directors and leading experts. New opportunities for funding Bulgarian athletes, youth programs, and the development of sports in the region will be discussed. Topics related to Olympians and their future after the end of their active careers will also be addressed. Standards of good governance and the models according to which the BOC should operate will be discussed.
“This visit is a clear sign of the high standing Bulgaria enjoys within the international Olympic family. Our goal is to provide even more stable support for Bulgarian talent, to exchange experience in sports governance, and to reaffirm our position as one of the countries whose Olympic Committee has over 100 years of history, glorious champions, and international recognition,” commented BOC President Vessela Letcheva before the start of the meetings.
The visit to Lausanne is part of the BOC’s long-term strategy to modernize sports structures in Bulgaria and expand our country’s international influence on the eve of the next major Olympic events. It is also the first official visit by the BOC’s new leadership.
“The institutional support that the IOC provided to the BOC leadership elected in 2025 was extremely important, above all from a moral standpoint. This support was in the interest of Bulgarian sports and demonstrated that international institutions respect the rules and adhere to them in order to preserve the Olympic Movement. It is now our duty to manage the organization transparently and in the interest of the athletes and sports organizations,” she added
