section_path: Culture/Sports
section_name: Sports
paragraph_text: Sports
  
  Bulgaria appeared at the first modern Olympic games in 1896, when it was represented by Swiss gymnast Charles Champaud. Since then, Bulgarian athletes have won 55 gold, 90 silver, and 85 bronze medals, ranking 25th in the all-time medal table. Weightlifting and wrestling are signature sports of Bulgaria. As of 2025, Bulgaria ranks 2nd in the all-time medal table of the European Weightlifting Championships, 3rd in the all-time medal table of the World Weightlifting Championships, 4th in the all-time medal table for Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics, 3rd in the all-time medal table of the European Wrestling Championships, 6th in the all-time medal table of the World Wrestling Championships and 9th in the all-time medal table for wrestling at the Summer Olympics. Coach Ivan Abadzhiev developed innovative training practices that allowed Bulgaria to dominate weightlifting in the 1980s. Bulgarian athletes have also excelled in boxing, gymnastics, volleyball and tennis. Stefka Kostadinova 's world record in women's high jump, achieved at the 1987 World Championships, remained unbroken until 2024, making it one of the longest-standing world records in history. Grigor Dimitrov was the first Bulgarian tennis player in the Top 3 ATP rankings.
  
  Football is the most popular sport in the country. The Bulgarian national football team 's best performance was a 4th-place finish at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, when the squad was spearheaded by the top goalscorer for the tournament- Hristo Stoichkov. Stoichkov is the most successful Bulgarian player of all time; he was awarded the Golden Boot and the Ballon d'Or and was considered one of the best players in the world while playing for FC Barcelona in the 1990s. CSKA Sofia and Levski Sofia are the most successful clubs domestically and long-standing rivals. Ludogorets is remarkable for having advanced from the local fourth division to the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage in a mere nine years. Placed 39th in 2018, it is Bulgaria's highest-ranked club in UEFA.