The Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, Vesela Lecheva, revealed alarming data regarding the financial management of the organization for the period 2022-2026.
The Control Council of the BOC reviewed about 1000 documents and over 10,000 pages, and according to Lecheva, what was found is "extremely unpleasant and very alarming." However, the Executive Bureau has decided not to disclose all details at this stage, so as not to inflict further damage on the reputation of the Olympic movement.
Among the specific problems cited is a commercial company affiliated with the BOC, into which 160,000 leva were deposited, but there are no expense documents for them, and the funds are missing. Lecheva also pointed out that the committee's representation expenses were extremely high.
"Representation expenses are perhaps greater than those of the presidential institution," stated the Chairwoman of the BOC.
Significant funds were also spent on the lawsuits that followed the General Assembly of the organization. According to Lecheva, legal fees alone exceed 30,000 leva.
The leadership of the BOC will give a reasonable deadline for the reimbursement of expenses deemed unlawful. If this is not done, the responsible individuals will be held accountable.
Lecheva also spoke to bTV about the new home of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee on "Vasil Levski" Blvd. She thanked the government for providing the building and emphasized that the issue had been awaiting a solution for years.
Internal renovation is pending, with the BOC planning a competition for the future functional distribution. The idea is to establish an Olympic library and a museum of Olympic heritage in the building, as well as halls that sports federations and organizations can use for meetings and seminars.
The Chairwoman of the BOC also touched upon the need for legislative changes related to the management of sports federations. As an example, she cited the ongoing problems in the weightlifting federation and the possibility of blocking the activity of an entire sport through legal complaints.
According to Lecheva, the BOC should also play a more active role in the preparations for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, including through closer partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
"We will not say - we keep our fingers crossed, but we will work," she stated, emphasizing that international competition is already accelerating its preparations for the Games.