Bulgarian Olympic swimmer Antani Ivanov‘s battle with his national federation took another turn earlier this month as World Aquatics upheld his two-year suspension by the Bulgarian Swimming Federation (BSF) for allegedly disrespecting the organization.
Ivanov, who was already serving a two-year sanction through October for missed doping tests, is now ineligible to compete until March of 2026. The 24-year-old butterfly specialist believes his punishment is retaliation for speaking out against alleged doping in Bulgarian swimming.
In 2021, three young Bulgarian swimmers claimed their federation required them to take pills at a national team training camp, leading to the trio testing positive for stanozolol. At the time, Ivanov told Bulgarian media that he would not train with the national team until the entire coaching staff stepped down. Georgi Avramchev still serves as the president of the BSF today.
Ivanov has doubled down on his criticism of the BSF since his previous two-year suspension was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last summer. He claimed that rising Bulgarian star Petar Mitsin was using banned substances when he broke the world junior record in the 400-meter freestyle last year.
“The governing body of the federation considers unacceptable and aimed at defamation the allegations of the competitor of Professional Swimming Club Cherno More Varna [Antani Ivanov] that the world record holder in the 400 m freestyle for juniors Petar Mitsin achieved his results in 2023 by using substances that fall under the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency,” the BSF said. “Ivanov provides no evidence for these allegations.”
In February, Ivanov was reportedly detained for possessing less than a gram of marijuana. Last year, he told SwimSwam that Bulgaria is “full of corruption” and that he even received threats from BSF officials.
“If I stop fighting for my rights, our federation will be drugging people and having success like they did at European Juniors, but I am fighting for my voice and my rights because Bulgaria is full of corruption and if you don’t listen and do what they tell you, they do what they did to me,” Ivanov said. “I got life threats from Bulgarian Swimming Federation members at the latest National Championships right before my main event. They told me if I stop talking about corruption and how much they steal, etc., everything will be fine. But if I don’t, then ‘two years suspension will be the least thing to worry about.’ That really scared me because I was with my family, my younger sister, and girlfriend, and it is hard to concentrate on swimming.”
Ivanov experienced his major breakthrough as a 17-year-old at the 2017 World Championships, breaking a national record in the 200 fly heats (1:55.55) before becoming the first Bulgarian swimmer to make a Worlds final in a decade. He won bronze at the 2017 World Junior Championships later that summer and went on to make consecutive 200 fly finals at the 2018 Short Course World Championships, 2019 World Championships, and 2021 Short Course Worlds. A 2022 graduate of Virginia Tech, Ivanov didn’t make it out of the heats at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, finishing 17th in 1:57.00.
IOC thinks this is a scandalous situation! Swimmer should get 4 years not 2!
It sounds like the national swimmers in Bulgaria are under the National Team’s supervision for most of the year (kind of like in China if I can compare it). I felt really bad when I read on SS about the three swimmers a few years back. These boys lost their competition rights for 4 years (no objection to it), and the Bulgarian Swimming Federation washed their hands off with the excuse “It was not us! The swimmers did it on their own”. I understand that no federation would and never will take the blame for such misconduct, but don’t forget that these boys were under your watch, and you, the BSF, were solely responsible for the well-being of these athletes.… Read more »
Absolutely ! There was even a video of the BFPS president Avramchev and an audio recording which I can post but it’s in Bulgarian in which he says “If we gave you something do you think we will send a doping test to you” also there are rumors that the doping came for the three athletes that already had “A” cuts and they changed and threw the other guys under the bus. The audio came out and he said that it wasn’t him. It’s literally 1980 here for sure. Also I never said that Petar was doping. I said that the doctor did a great job. Their problem is that I get too much screen time to say everything they… Read more »
You are just amazing Antani, the swimming community and the world in general needs more people like you. You have our biggest respect.
2024 is the new 1980s.
There are a few notes that I would like to make: 1. Mr. Avramchev is wrong about not calling the doping test. Mr. Avramchev can NOT call for such a test. The local or international doping agency showed up unannounced. They give you a “surprise” visit without calls or previous arrangements. Period.
2. One of the main purposes of these local doping agencies is to control and monitor the use of banned substances and how those medications work. How long does it take for the drug to get out of the athlete’s system? Here is where Mr. Avramchev is correct. You have to call them for such a test. 3. About the three… Read more »
Yes, it is true. If you refuse to take vitamins or say anything bad about the federation, you are out. Nowadays even if you are supporting me you are out of the team. Also those vitamins are in cups and you don’t know what is in them. That’s why I have never taken them and I stopped going to camps in 2018 because of it.
Respect to him for just posting through it
Another example of how we destroy our own swimmers, in almost all the surrounding Balkan countries the picture is the same. The people who run the federations are willing to sacrifice human destinies just to preserve their positions and continue to fill their pockets. We parents are also to blame, we watch and remain silent. In each generation, the federation will “buy” a few swimmers who give them the minimum necessary support and credibility, and all the rest are suffering, when the swimmers raise their voice about anything they receive this treatment of systematic destruction and remain on the margins of success. Respect and support for Antani!
This !!! Absolutely on point !
Would he be able to come to the US for college? It would seem some teams would be happy to try to develop his talent!
I was in Virginia Tech for 4 years so I can’t compete on college level anymore but I’ll be back training in the US soon !
Read the article – he’s already a V Tech graduate
By the way Ant I’m sorry you have to deal with this. Horrible what Bulgarian swimming is trying to do and I hope justice with this will get served but after all that’s happened with WA and WADA covering up the China stuff I don’t know if either organization will do much of anything. I hope someone investigates them and sanctions them because all they are doing is making this worse for themselves but I don’t know if much will come of it if the governing body of swimming itself is corrupt. Wish there was more everyone here could do but know we have your back in this.
I hope it will come because I don’t want anyone else going through what I’m going right now !
life threats?? really bulgarian swimming federation?
it’s terrible how antani has been treated by his own federation
and i’m sorry if i have said anything bad about you in the past
Thank you ! I don’t mind if you have said something bad because I haven’t always been “liked” but I’ve always been myself and stood for what I believed in and that is clean sport !
Getting a 2 year suspension for something as small as this is crazy