Bulgaria Threatens to Block Naturalized Weightlifters from London Olympics
Sports | February 14, 2012, Tuesday| 1014 views
Send to Kindle
Photo by bnr.bg
The Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation (BWF) has threatened to block the participation of naturalized athlethes Boyanka Kostova and Valentin Hristov in the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Bulgaria-born Kostova and Hristov started competing for Azerbaijan after the Azeri federation agreed to pay the Bulgarian counterpart EUR 400 000 in compensation.
Hristov holds a bronze medal from the world championship in Paris, which took place in November 2011.
The BWF has claimed an additional compensation to allow Kostova and Hristov to take part in the London Olympics.
"We shall let them take part in the London Olympics only if we get the additional compensation," BWF Chair Nedelcho Kolev told journalists, adding that the contract with the Azeri federation only provided for the two athletes' participation in world championships, not Olympic Games.
The Azeri federation, however, explained in a statement that the agreement provided for no extra compensations.
The Azeri federation threatened to take legal action against Bulgaria if the BWF blocked the weightlifters' participation in the London Olympic Games.
Tags: Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation, weightlifter, London Olympics, London 2012, Olympic Games, world championships, azerbaijan
» Subscribe to receive alerts by email for any of these keywords.
