AKP Phnom Penh, March 11, 2026 —

Bulgarian Olympic Committee President-elect Vesela Lecheva congratulated all women in sport on International Women's Day.

"Over the past century, women have travelled a long and dignified path. Women's participation in the Olympic Games has evolved from complete exclusion at the first modern Games in 1896 to achieving full gender equality for the first time in Olympic history at the 2024 Summer Olympics," Lecheva said.

She noted that more than 90% of national Olympic committees selected both a man and a woman to carry their flags together during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

"Nevertheless, statistics today show that women's sport is often underestimated. Our response is our remarkable medallists and champions," she added.

In her capacity as vice-president, Lecheva also delivered a message on behalf of the European Shooting Confederation.

"When I began competing, everyone associated this sport [shooting] with men. My first competitions were in mixed disciplines. At that time there were no separate events for women. I was only 15 when I finished second in the most male-dominated event - the 3x40 small-bore rifle - at an international tournament in Budapest. I had no concerns about competing alongside men.

"The most beautiful thing about our sport is that results are determined not by physical strength but by precise technical skills, exceptional mental resilience and character - the desire to get better every day, to measure yourself against the best and to set high goals," Lecheva said.

AKP-BTA