The legendary former Bulgarian national player joins the team of the "blues", with a primary focus on the sports and technical aspects of the club.
In his new role, Ivanov will work with all departments of Levski Sofia – men, women, and youth, and will play an important role in the development and coordination of the club's overall sports structure.
"I didn't think much about the offer, because this is a big challenge for me. I hope we can work in sync and move towards something better. That's the goal of every challenge – to become better or to improve something where you are," commented Evgeni Ivanov.
For Pushkata, this is by no means his first leadership position in volleyball. After the end of his competitive career, he gained serious administrative experience in the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation. In 2015, Ivanov was the director of the European Men's Championship, after which he took over the organization of the National Volleyball League.
Subsequently, one of the main areas of his work became the development of young volleyball players. Ivanov was director of "National Championships for Youth" at the BFV, and later chairman of the Commission for Children and Youth Volleyball. As such, he participated in the implementation of projects such as "Volleyball at School", "National Testing" and "Tournament of Talents".
Pushkata was also a member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation. In 2023, he was re-elected to the governing body of the federation, and he himself defined the development of children's and youth volleyball as one of his main priorities.
Thus, Levski Sofia attracts not only one of the big names in the history of Bulgarian volleyball, but also a person with accumulated management experience both with men's teams and in working with youth.
Evgeni Ivanov is among the iconic figures of Bulgarian volleyball. As a middle blocker, he has two Olympic Games appearances – Atlanta 1996 and Beijing 2008, and among his great successes with the national team are the bronze medals from the 2006 World Championship and the 2007 World Cup.
Now Evgeni Ivanov faces a new challenge – as sports director, to use the knowledge and experience accumulated over the years for the development of Levski Sofia at all levels – from the academy to the representative men's and women's teams.