Bulgaria at the London 2012 Games

Bulgaria will be represented by 63 athletes in 17 sports at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Yordan Yovchev will bear the Bulgarian national flag in the opening ceremony on Friday. The 39-year-old fourfold world champion gymnast has won four Olympian medals in Sydney and Athens, and the London 2012 Games will be his sixth Olympiad. He will be the oldest male gymnast ever to compete in the Olympics, and also the only male representative of artistic gymnastics in the Bulgarian team this year.

The Bulgarian Olympic Team will consist of nine wrestlers, two weightlifters, a men’s volleyball team, one male and one female tennis player, four swimmers, four athletes competing in shooting events, one boat each in two sailing events, one athlete in the men’s judo competition. Bulgaria will also have athletes in archery, badminton, boxing, as well as athletics, cycling, fencing and canoeing.

Look out for five-time wrestling World Champion and silver medalist in Beijing, Stanka Zlateva. Another athlete who will be going for the gold is the two-time Olympic shooting champion, five-time medalist and world record holder for the 25m pistol - Maria Grozdeva.

 

London Olympic Games 2012

Quick facts
- Bulgaria was among the 14 countries to compete in first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era - the 1896 Summer Olympics.
- The Bulgarian team won 5 medals in the last Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, including 1 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals.
- First ever medal for Bulgaria was won by boxer Boris Georgiev-Mokata, who got bronze in Helsinki in 1952. First gold medal was won by wrestler Nikola Stanchev in Melborne 1956.
- Bulgaria has won most medals in wrestling - total ot 67, that's 16 gold, 31 silver and 20 bronze models. Second best is weightlifting with 31 medals - 12 gold, 16 silver and 8 bronze.
- Most gold medals won by Bulgarian athletes - 41 during the 1980 Lake Placid Games (8 gold, 16silver and 17 bronze). Most successfull Games -  Seoul 1988: 10 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze (total of 35 medals).
- Total medals won by Bulgaria during the games so far - 50 gold, 83 silver and 74 bronze.