Bulgarian wrestler Valentin Yordanov has returned his gold medal from the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogg, protesting the decision of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee to remove wrestling from the Olympic program.

Speaking Wednesday at a press conference, Yordanov, President of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation, announced his decision to return his gold medal from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the IOC.

53-year-old Yordanov, who is a seven-time world champion and seven-time European champion, argued that the joined efforts of FILA and all federations would help assert the place of the sport in the Olympic Games.

At the Wednesday press conference, Yordanov was accompanied by a number of Bulgarian wrestling legends like Alexander Tomov, Armen Nazaryan, Serafim Barzakov, Petar Kirov, etc.

All vowed to unite efforts to support the battle to keep the sport on the Olympic program.