The summer Olympic Games in London this summer are coming and the competition for the remaining quotas has become merciless. The chairwoman of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee Stefka Kostadinova recently announced that a total of 70 Bulgarians are expected to win Olympic quotas. “We expect more quotas in boxing, wrestling and volleyball,” she added. The quotas Bulgaria has won so far are in sports that traditionally bring victories like boxing, weightlifting, and rhythmic gymnastics. More visas for the games are expected in swimming, cycling, and kayaking.
The participation of incredible Bulgarian gymnast Yodan Yovchev at the games is truly one of the most expected events by sports fans from all over the world. A few months ago at the last Olympic qualifications in London the 39-year-old Yovchev placed among the top 30 athletes and qualified for the games, thus becoming the first gymnast in the world who is to compete at the Olympic arena for the sixth time. Yovchev has focused his efforts entirely on his performance in London, where just his presence will be a sheer success, although fans hope for much more.
Bulgarian wrestlers have won 67 Olympic medals so far and this summer they will aim for the gold once more. Elis Guri and Ivo Angelov have already won quotas, as well as Radoslav Velikov and Leonid Bazan. Five-time world and five-time European champion among the women Stanka Zlateva will also compete for the Olympic gold, which is still missing from her vast collection of medals. Bulgaria will have the chance to win more quotas in the sport at the European qualification tournament that will take place in Sofia in the period April 20-22. In the beginning of May another qualification tournament will take place in Finland.
The Bulgarian boxing team has brought a number of victories for this country during the years and fans hope it will continue doing it in London. The 2009 world champion in the 54 kg category Detelin Dalakliev has already grabbed his visa for the games and hopes for the best of luck.
The European volleyball qualification in the period May 8-13 is the tournament that can provide the first participation of the Bulgarian team at Olympic Games since 1988. Bulgaria is in the same group with the teams of Serbia, Spain and Slovenia. The teams of Germany, Italy, Finland, and Slovakia are in the other group and only one winner will qualify for the games. The tournament in Sofia will surely provide great emotions for fans of this sport who hope for success of the team in the fierce battles that are coming.
Bulgarian female athletes also traditionally bring tons of medals for this country. There will be six Bulgarian competitors in the track-and field events in London and five of them are women. Female swimmers Ekaterina Avramova and Nina Rangelova also have ambitions for successful performance at the games.
Even more pleasure for the fans of sports brings the fact that the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics team, led by Iliana Raeva, will compete in London for the medals. The team already won a gold medal at the World Championship in France in 2011 and now expectations and ambitions are huge.
With the coming of the games tension is rising and Bulgarian fans expect even more quotas and reasons for joy.
English: A Markov
