Serious disorder disrupted the State Wrestling Championship in Sliven, Bulgaria, after a violent incident broke out during the final bout in the 72 kg Greco-Roman category. Tensions escalated when CSKA wrestler Ivo Iliev, unhappy with the refereeing after losing 14:8 to Dimitar Georgiev of Botev Vratsa, reacted aggressively by kicking the officials’ table.

Within seconds, the situation spiraled. Match chair Elina Vaseva struck Iliev in the face, and the wrestler’s mother then intervened physically, attacking Vaseva and pulling her hair. Verbal abuse followed, and chaos briefly took over the sports hall before order was restored.

Iliev was subsequently disqualified and is expected to face a suspension from domestic competitions for up to a year. None of the people directly involved agreed to speak on camera afterward. Vaseva later commented that the reaction was unacceptable for an athlete of Iliev’s level, while CSKA coach Soslan Farniev said he believed the refereeing was unfair but did not expect such behavior from his wrestler.

Elina Vaseva is a former national team competitor, having won a bronze medal in the 63 kg category at the 2010 European Championships in Baku. Her involvement in the incident drew additional attention due to her sporting background.

Despite the scandal, the sporting action continued, with CSKA dominating much of the competition. Olympic champion Semen Novikov also claimed gold, while five of the ten finals on the opening day were won by naturalized wrestlers. Titles went to Shamil Mamedov (65 kg), Ramazan Ramazanov (74 kg), Ahmed Bataev (92 kg), Ahmed Magamaev (96 kg), and Alen Hubulov (125 kg). Olympic champion Magomed Ramazanov (86 kg) was also present in the stands as he continues his recovery from injury.

The championship, which began on January 19, has reignited debate about the growing presence of foreign-born wrestlers in Bulgarian competitions. Bulgarian Wrestling Federation president Stanka Zlateva strongly criticized the incident, accusing those involved of damaging the sport and suggesting that such scandals are linked to the current direction of the federation.

Her comments triggered a sharp response from multiple-time champion Elis Guri, who publicly called on Zlateva to resign. Guri described her statements as provocative and argued that the focus should instead be on organizational failures at the event. He pointed to poor refereeing criteria, inadequate conditions of the wrestling mat, and overall mismanagement, stating that the mat no longer meets international standards.

Guri urged athletes and fans not to give in to what he described as deliberate provocation and said that leadership should take responsibility rather than escalating tensions. The events in Sliven have now put both discipline within the sport and the leadership of the federation under renewed scrutiny.