Stefka Kostadinova wins the 1995 World title (© Getty Images)
Stefka Kostadinova, the reigning World record holder for the women’s High Jump has become the first ever-woman chair of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) after winning elections on Friday (11).
The 40-year-old Kostadinova, who is a former World and Olympic champion, succeeded Ivan Slavkov who was ousted as a result of his expulsion from the International Olympic Committee.
Kostadinova, the 1987 and 1995 World High Jump champion, polled 42 votes in a run-off with ex-rower Svetla Otsetova, who received 38 votes. In the first round of voting, Kostadinova led with 31 votes, while Otsetova, the 1976 Olympic women’s Double Sculls champion, had the backing of 22 delegates.
Vassil Ivanov, Bulgaria’s former sports minister, received 17 votes and was eliminated along with three other candidates including former astronaut Alexander Alexandrov.
Kostadinova becomes the seventh head of the BOC, which was formed in 1923, and will be involved in promoting Sofia’s bid for the 2014 winter Olympics. She is one of the most eminent Bulgarian sporting figures and was a deputy sports minister in the previous government.
"It is a victory for the whole of Bulgarian sport," said Kostadinova, whose current World record of 2.09m was set in Rome in 1987 when she landed her first World title. It was her third World mark, with clearances at 2.07m and then 2.08m coming in 1986.
Kostadinova was Olympic champion in Atlanta in 1996, also won the silver medal in Seoul in 1988.
As well as twice being World outdoor champion, and also taking the outdoor 1986 European crown, Kostadinova took the World Indoor gold on five occasions* with her last title in 1997, and was four-time European Indoor gold medallist.
She has been named Bulgarian sports personality of the year a record four times and was best Balkan sportsperson five times.
Agencies and IAAF
*1985 World Indoor Games
