Students from NSA among the awardees of the "Sports Icarus" and the BOC prizes

Published on 19 December 2024
Students from NSA among the awardees of the "Sports Icarus" and the BOC prizes

The Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) and the "Bulgarian Sport" Foundation presented their traditional annual sports awards for 2024 at the Grand Hotel Sofia. The event was attended by Olympic, world, and European medalists, accomplished athletes, coaches, and officials, journalists, as well as representatives from business and culture.

The group of NSA students among the awarded athletes was notable – Carlos Nassar, Semen Novikov (absent from the ceremony), Boryana Kaleyn, Stiliana Nikolova, Emma Neykova, as well as Kubrat Pulev, an alumnus of the Sports Academy.

Most awards were presented by BOC President Stefka Kostadinova, Chairman of the "Bulgarian Sport" Foundation Nikolay Bozhinov, Sports Minister Georgi Glushkov, BOC Secretary General Belcho Goranov, and Deputy Minister of Sports Assoc. Prof. Stoyan Andonov.

In his closing remarks, Glushkov emphasized: “2024 is the year of Carlos Nassar, who won titles at the three biggest forums of the season – the Olympic Games, the World Championship, and the European Championship. He achieved it with ease and impressive results. We are closing a very successful year with significant achievements that brought joy and unity to all of Bulgaria. We have shown that we have great potential, and I believe we will achieve even more success in the future. I wish everyone good health and to recharge with positive emotions together with their loved ones during the festive days, which will help them face the challenges of the new year.”

“Bulgaria is closing a very good year in sports – the Paris Olympics was among the most successful in history,” said Stefka Kostadinova. “With a total of seven medals, three of them gold, we improved our performance compared to the previous Games in Tokyo, where we also achieved strong rankings. We heard our anthem again, multiple times, and our flag was raised the highest. I want to congratulate everyone who contributed to our excellent performance in Paris, not just the champions and medalists, but everyone who gave our compatriots reasons for joy and pride – coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, leaders, as well as my team at BOC. This year, Bulgaria has four mega-stars in sports – Carlos Nassar, Kubrat Pulev, Grigor Dimitrov, and Alexander Vezenkov.”

The BOC awards were distributed at the beginning of the ceremony.

The "Honorary Badge of the BOC" was awarded to Tanya Bogomilova, Nonka Matova, Kamelia Ignatova, and Ognyan Nikolov, who are celebrating milestone anniversaries. The BOC "Young and Talented Athlete" award was given to Valentina Georgieva, Radina Velichkova (athletics), Nikola Tsolov (motorsport), and Kaloyana Nalbantova (badminton). Diplomas and medals "100 Years of the BOC" were presented to all medalists from the Paris Olympics – Carlos Nassar, Semen Novikov, Magomed Ramazanov, Boryana Kaleyn, Javier Diaz, Bozhidar Andreev, and Kimia Alizadeh, as well as Paralympian Ruzhdi Ruzhdi. Stefka Kostadinova awarded a "100 Years of the BOC" plaque to the Bulgarian Football Union, received by the organization's President Georgi Ivanov.

The BOC also honored Olympic medalists on the occasion of milestone anniversaries in 2024 – Vesela Lecheva, Dimo Tonev, Kamelia Ignatova. Awards were also received by Ognyan Nikolov, Rosen Dobrev, and Dr. Ivan Ivanov. Anatoly Iliev and journalists Vladimir Pamukov, Georgi Banov, and Nikolay Krastev were distinguished with the "For Olympic Merit" medal.

"Sports Icarus" awards from the "Bulgarian Sport" Foundation:

"Sports Icarus" of the Year – Carlos Nassar; Impressive Performance – Semen Novikov and Magomed Ramazanov; Special "Sports Icarus" Award for Paralympic Achievement – Ruzhdi Ruzhdi; Honorary Trophy – Kubrat Pulev; Worthy Performance – Boryana Kaleyn, Javier Ibanez, Bozhidar Andreev, Kimia Alizadeh; For Demonstrating "High Sportsmanship" – Emma Neykova (fencing); Team of the Year – National Volleyball Team for Girls under 18; Longevity in Sports – Antoaneta Stefanova (chess); Special Awards from the "Bulgarian Sport" Foundation – Stiliana Nikolova (rhythmic gymnastics), Rami Kiwan (boxing), and Lyubomir Epitropov (swimming); Breakthrough in World Sports – Valentina Georgieva (artistic gymnastics), Desislava Angelova (rowing).

The ceremony concluded with the traditional group photo and wishes for happy holidays, health, and a successful New Year in sports.

Photos: BOC and Startphoto.bg