For the first time the category “team of the year” was included in the 2009 edition of the Bulgarian Sportsman of the Year poll, conducted among sports journalists. The national men’s volleyball team won the prize in the category. Players Georgi Bratoev, Teodor Teodorov, Vladislav Ivanov and the president of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Dancho Lazarov, received the award at a ceremony on December 21 in the Ivan Vazov national theater in Sofia.

The Lions indisputably became the most successful Bulgarian team in 2009. They won bronze medals at the European championship in Turkey and triumphed at the World Cup 2010 qualification tournament in Varna.

Bulgarian world boxing champion Detelin Dalakliev was voted Sports Person of the Year and one of the best volleyball players of the world, Matei Kaziyski, remained fifth. In 2009 Mr Kaziyski shared the success of the national volleyball team and won two cups with his Italian side Trentino.
The team led by Bulgarian coach Radostin Stoichev won the European and World club titles. Mr Stoichev remained 3rd in the Manager of the Year category, while the Italian coach of the Bulgarian national team, Silvano Prandi, became second. Manager of the national boxing team, Petar Lesov, won the prize in the category.

The award for the Bulgarian volleyball players is an acknowledgement of their efforts and in recognition of their reserved place among the world volleyball elite. Once again, the transition between the different generations in the team went smoothly. Young players Georgi Bratoev, Vladimir Bratoev, Viktor Yosifov, Teodor Bogdanov, and Tzvetan Sokolov have successfully replaced Plamen Konstantinov and Evgeni Ivanov, and become adequate substitutes for experienced players Vladimir Nikolov, Hristo Tzvetanov, and Andrey Zhekov.

The combination of youth and the experience of Todor Alexiev, Danail Milushev, Krasimir Gaidarski, and libero Teodor Salparov gives Bulgarian fans the hope of more occasions for celebration.

English: Alexander Markov