The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officiallytemporarily recognizedthe election of Vesela Lecheva as president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) after the Electoral General Assembly held on March 19, 2025. This is clear from a letter from the IOC, sent on May 17 to the outgoing president Stefka Kostadinova and the newly elected Lecheva.

The IOC will update its platforms and databases, recognizing only Lecheva and the new Executive Board as legitimate representatives of the BOC before the global Olympic structure and in the context of all Olympic events and games. 🏅

❗But there is also a caveat:due to lawsuits filed in Bulgaria against the legitimacy of the assembly, the decisions of the new leadership must be temporarily countersigned by the outgoing president Kostadinova – as a formality, until the legal procedures are complete.

“We count on good faith and common sense,” writes the IOC, emphasizing that in the absence of cooperation from the parties, the situation may be re-examined, including the possibility of sanctions against the BOC. The organization states that it was not informed of any objections during the assembly itself, nor of the reasons that led to the judicial chaos thereafter.

📌 The letter emphasizes that Bulgarian sport has no time for administrative wars, because key international events are ahead, includingthe Winter Olympic Games Milan – Cortina 2026.

The IOC remains ready to assist in resolving the situation, but the ball is now in Bulgarian territory. It is time for our sport to speak with one voice – that of respect, rules, and the future of our Olympians. 🇧🇬🤝