Bulgaria at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bulgaria at the Olympics
IOC code	BUL
NOC	Bulgarian Olympic Committee
Website
Medals Ranked 26th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 58 91 88 237
Summer appearances
1896 1900–1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winter appearances
1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018

Bulgaria is a country that loves sports, and its athletes have been part of the Olympic Games for a long time! They first joined the Olympics way back in 1896. At that first event, only one gymnast from Bulgaria took part.

The Bulgarian Olympic Committee was created in 1923. Bulgaria then sent its first full team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1924. Since then, they have competed in almost every Summer Olympics. They missed a few games because of big world events, like the Great Depression in 1932 and World War II in 1948. They also didn't go to the 1984 Games because of a boycott led by the Soviet Union. Bulgaria first competed in the Winter Olympic Games in 1936 and has been to every Winter Games since then.

Bulgarian athletes have won a total of 230 medals. Their strongest sports are wrestling and weightlifting, where they have won the most medals. In the late 1980s, Bulgaria was one of the top 10 countries in the Olympics! However, after a big change in their government around 1989-1990, it became harder for Bulgaria to support its athletes as much as before. This meant they started winning fewer medals, especially after the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Bulgaria's best performance was at the 1980 Summer Olympics, where they finished third in the medal count. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, they ranked 7th but won their largest number of gold medals ever. For the Winter Olympics, their best year was 1998, when they ranked 15th.

Olympic Medals for Bulgaria

Bulgaria has won many medals over the years. Here's a look at how they've done in both the Summer and Winter Games.

Summer Olympics Medals

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1896 Athens	1	0	0	0	0	–
1900–1920	did not participate
1924 Paris	24	0	0	0	0	–
1928 Amsterdam	5	0	0	0	0	–
1932 Los Angeles	did not participate
1936 Berlin	26	0	0	0	0	–
1948 London	did not participate
1952 Helsinki	63	0	0	1	1	40
1956 Melbourne	43	1	3	1	5	19
1960 Rome	98	1	3	3	7	15
1964 Tokyo	63	3	5	2	10	11
1968 Mexico City	112	2	4	3	9	18
1972 Munich	130	6	10	5	21	9
1976 Montreal	158	6	9	7	22	7
1980 Moscow	270	8	16	17	41	3
1984 Los Angeles	did not participate
1988 Seoul	171	10	12	13	35	7
1992 Barcelona	138	3	7	6	16	18
1996 Atlanta	110	3	7	5	15	22
2000 Sydney	91	5	6	2	13	16
2004 Athens	95	2	1	9	12	33
2008 Beijing	72	1	1	3	5	42
2012 London	63	0	2	1	3	63
2016 Rio de Janeiro	51	0	1	2	3	65
2020 Tokyo	42	3	1	2	6	30
2024 Paris	46	3	1	3	7	26
2028 Los Angeles
Total		57	89	85	231	23

Winter Olympics Medals

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen	7	0	0	0	0	–
1948 St. Moritz	4	0	0	0	0	–
1952 Oslo	10	0	0	0	0	–
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo	7	0	0	0	0	–
1960 Squaw Valley	7	0	0	0	0	–
1964 Innsbruck	7	0	0	0	0	–
1968 Grenoble	6	0	0	0	0	–
1972 Sapporo	4	0	0	0	0	–
1976 Innsbruck	29	0	0	0	0	–
1980 Lake Placid	8	0	0	1	1	17
1984 Sarajevo	16	0	0	0	0	–
1988 Calgary	26	0	0	0	0	–
1992 Albertville	30	0	0	0	0	–
1994 Lillehammer	17	0	0	0	0	–
1998 Nagano	19	1	0	0	1	15
2002 Salt Lake City	23	0	1	2	3	20
2006 Turin	21	0	1	0	1	21
2010 Vancouver	19	0	0	0	0	–
2014 Sochi	18	0	0	0	0	–
2018 Pyeongchang	21	0	0	0	0	–
2022 Beijing	15	0	0	0	0	–
2026 Milan/Cortina	future event
Total		1	2	3	6	40

Top Bulgarian Olympic Athletes

Some Bulgarian athletes have won multiple medals, showing their amazing talent and hard work!

Athlete	Sport	Gender	Years	Games				Total
Grozdeva, MariaMaria Grozdeva	Shooting	F	1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2020	Summer	2	0	3	5
Bukhalov, NikolayNikolay Bukhalov	Canoeing	M	1988, 1992, 1996, 2000	Summer	2	0	1	3
Kiryakov, TanyuTanyu Kiryakov	Shooting	M	1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008	Summer	2	0	1	3
Radev, BoyanBoyan Radev	Wrestling	M	1964, 1968	Summer	2	0	0	2
Kirov, PetarPetar Kirov	Wrestling	M	1968, 1972, 1976	Summer	2	0	0	2
Nurikyan, NorairNorair Nurikyan	Weightlifting	M	1972, 1976	Summer	2	0	0	2
Gesheva, VanjaVanja Gesheva	Kayaking	F	1980, 1988	Summer	1	2	1	4
Valchev, EnyuEnyu Valchev	Wrestling	M	1960, 1964, 1968	Summer	1	1	1	3
Neykova, RumyanaRumyana Neykova	Rowing	F	1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008	Summer	1	1	1	3
Dobrev, DimitarDimitar Dobrev	Wrestling	M	1956, 1960	Summer	1	1	0	2
Lyubenov, LyubomirLyubomir Lyubenov	Canoeing	M	1980	Summer	1	1	0	2
Kostadinova, StefkaStefka Kostadinova	Athletics	F	1988, 1992, 1996	Summer	1	1	0	2
Petrov, DanielDaniel Petrov	Boxing	M	1992, 1996	Summer	1	1	0	2
Gardzhev, ProdanProdan Gardzhev	Wrestling	M	1960, 1964, 1968	Summer	1	0	1	2
Hristova, IvankaIvanka Hristova	Athletics	F	1964, 1968, 1972, 1976	Summer	1	0	1	2
Kelbecheva, SiykaSiyka Kelbecheva	Rowing	F	1976, 1980	Summer	1	0	1	2
Kurbatova-Gruycheva, StoyankaStoyanka Kurbatova-Gruycheva	Rowing	F	1976, 1980	Summer	1	0	1	2
Deltchev, StoyanStoyan Deltchev	Gymnastics	M	1976, 1980	Summer	1	0	1	2
Marinov, IvailoIvailo Marinov	Boxing	M	1980, 1988	Summer	1	0	1	2
Donkova, YordankaYordanka Donkova	Athletics	F	1980, 1988, 1992	Summer	1	0	1	2
Yordanov, ValentinValentin Yordanov	Wrestling	M	1988, 1992, 1996	Summer	1	0	1	2
Nazaryan, ArmenArmen Nazaryan	Wrestling	M	2000, 2004, 2008	Summer	1	0	1	2
Tomov, AleksandarAleksandar Tomov	Wrestling	M	1972, 1976, 1980	Summer	0	3	0	3
Radanova, EvgeniaEvgenia Radanova	Short track speed skating	F	1994, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010	Winter	0	2	1	3
Kolev, StanchoStancho Kolev	Wrestling	M	1960, 1964	Summer	0	2	0	2
Duraliev, OsmanOsman Duraliev	Wrestling	M	1968, 1972	Summer	0	2	0	2
Petkova, MariyaMariya Petkova	Athletics	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	2	0	2
Gyurova, GinkaGinka Gyurova	Rowing	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	2	0	2
Modeva, MariykaMariyka Modeva	Rowing	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	2	0	2
Letcheva, VeselaVesela Letcheva	Shooting	F	1988, 1992	Summer	0	2	0	2
Yotov, YotoYoto Yotov	Weightlifting	M	1992, 1996	Summer	0	2	0	2
Merkov, PetarPetar Merkov	Canoeing	M	2000	Summer	0	2	0	2
Zlateva, StankaStanka Zlateva	Wrestling	F	2008, 2012	Summer	0	2	0	2
Yovchev, YordanYordan Yovchev	Gymnastics	M	1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012	Summer	0	1	3	4
Blagoeva, YordankaYordanka Blagoeva	Athletics	F	1972, 1976	Summer	0	1	1	2
Shopov, AtanasAtanas Shopov	Weightlifting	M	1972, 1976	Summer	0	1	1	2
Bogdanova, KrasimiraKrasimira Bogdanova	Basketball	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	1	1	2
Braynova-Dilova, DianaDiana Braynova-Dilova	Basketball	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	1	1	2
Metodieva, PenkaPenka Metodieva	Basketball	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	1	1	2
Mikhaylova, SnezhanaSnezhana Mikhaylova	Basketball	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	1	1	2
Makaveeva, PetkanaPetkana Makaveeva	Basketball	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	1	1	2
Golcheva, NadkaNadka Golcheva	Basketball	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	1	1	2
Stoyanova, PenkaPenka Stoyanova	Basketball	F	1976, 1980	Summer	0	1	1	2
Paliiska, DianaDiana Paliiska	Canoeing	F	1988	Summer	0	1	1	2
Frenkeva, AntoanetaAntoaneta Frenkeva	Swimming	F	1988	Summer	0	1	1	2
Khristova, TsvetankaTsvetanka Khristova	Athletics	F	1988, 1992	Summer	0	1	1	2
Peshalov, NikolayNikolay Peshalov	Weightlifting	M	1992, 1996	Summer	0	1	1	2
Angelov, StefanStefan Angelov	Wrestling	M	1972, 1976	Summer	0	0	2	2
Marinov, MartinMartin Marinov	Canoeing	M	1988, 1992	Summer	0	0	2	2

Bulgarian Flag Bearers

The flag bearer is an important role! This athlete carries their country's flag during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. It's a great honor!

#	Year	Season	Flag Bearer	Sport
34	2026	Winter
33	2024	Summer	Petrova, StanimiraStanimira Petrova Epitropov, LyubomirLyubomir Epitropov	Boxing Swimming
32	2022	Winter	Zdravkova, MariaMaria Zdravkova Yankov, RadoslavRadoslav Yankov	Biathlon Snowboarding
31	2020	Summer	Grozdeva, MariyaMariya Grozdeva Miladinov, JosifJosif Miladinov	Shooting Swimming
30	2018	Winter	Yankov, RadoslavRadoslav Yankov	Snowboarding
29	2016	Summer	Lalova, IvetIvet Lalova	Athletics
28	2014	Winter	Kirkova, MariaMaria Kirkova	Alpine skiing
27	2012	Summer	Yovchev, YordanYordan Yovchev	Gymnastics
26	2010	Winter	Zhekova, AleksandraAleksandra Zhekova	Snowboarding
25	2008	Summer	Stoychev, PetarPetar Stoychev	Swimming
24	2006	Winter	Dafovska, EkaterinaEkaterina Dafovska	Biathlon
23	2004	Summer	Grozdeva, MariyaMariya Grozdeva	Shooting
22	2002	Winter	Georgiev, StefanStefan Georgiev	Alpine skiing
21	2000	Summer	Yanakiev, IvoIvo Yanakiev	Rowing
20	1998	Winter	Popov, LyubomirLyubomir Popov	Alpine skiing
19	1996	Summer	Tonev, DimoDimo Tonev	Volleyball
18	1994	Winter	Aleksieva, NadezhdaNadezhda Aleksieva	Biathlon
17	1992	Summer	Yordanov, IvayloIvaylo Yordanov	Wrestling
16	1992	Winter	Karagiozova-Shkodreva, IvaIva Karagiozova-Shkodreva	Biathlon
15	1988	Summer	Etropolski, VasilVasil Etropolski	Fencing
14	1988	Winter	Velichkov, VladimirVladimir Velichkov	Biathlon
13	1984	Winter	Velichkov, VladimirVladimir Velichkov	Biathlon
12	1980	Summer	Tomov, AleksandarAleksandar Tomov	Wrestling
11	1980	Winter	Popangelov, PetarPetar Popangelov	Downhill skiing
10	1976	Summer	Tomov, AleksandarAleksandar Tomov	Wrestling
9	1972	Summer	Zlatanov, DimitarDimitar Zlatanov	Volleyball
8	1968	Summer	Gardzhev, ProdanProdan Gardzhev	Wrestling
7	1964	Summer	Valchev, EnyuEnyu Valchev	Wrestling
6	1960	Summer	Panov, GeorgiGeorgi Panov	Basketball
5	1956	Summer	Panov, GeorgiGeorgi Panov	Basketball
4	1952	Summer	Nikolov, BorisBoris Nikolov	Boxing
3	1936	Summer	Doychev, LyubenLyuben Doychev	Athletics
2	1928	Summer	Semov, TodorTodor Semov	Equestrian
1	1924	Summer	Petrunov, KirilKiril Petrunov	Athletics

Images for kids

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  Boxing

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  Wrestling

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  Football

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  Gymnastics

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  Weightlifting

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  Athletics

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  Rowing

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  Basketball

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  Canoeing

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  Equestrian

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  Judo

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  Volleyball

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  Shooting

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  Swimming

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  Tennis

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  Karate

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  Taekwondo

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  Biathlon

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  Cross-country skiing

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  Short track speed skating

See also

In Spanish: Bulgaria en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• List of flag bearers for Bulgaria at the Olympics
• Category:Olympic competitors for Bulgaria
• Bulgaria at the Paralympics