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Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships

The Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships () are an annual figure skating competition organized by the Bulgarian Skating Federation () to crown the national champions of Bulgaria. The first Bulgarian Championships were held in 1954 in Sofia.

Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance at the senior, junior, and novice levels, although not every discipline is held every year due to a lack of participants. Ivan Dinev currently holds the record for winning the most Bulgarian Championship titles in men's singles (with fifteen), while Evgenia Nikolova holds the record in women's singles (with ten). Elizaveta Makarova and Leri Kenchadze hold the record in pair skating (with four), although Kenchadze won an additional title with a different partner. Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski hold the record in ice dance (with eleven), and Denkova won an additional two titles with a previous partner.

History

There is evidence of skating in Bulgaria as early as 1929 with the establishment of skating clubs and the staging of a public exhibition of figure skating and speed skating. Skating was most common at the Borisova gradina, the oldest and most well-known public park in Sofia. More than 10,000 people participated in ice skating in Sofia. After World War II, progress in skating stalled due to the lack of indoor ice rinks and inadequate equipment. The Bulgarian Skating and Ice Hockey Federation was founded in 1949 to oversee figure skating, speed skating, and ice hockey in Bulgaria. The first Bulgarian Figure Skating Champions were held in 1954 at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. The winners of the inaugural men's and women's events were Georgi Hristov and Elisaveta Ivanova, respectively. Bulgaria joined the International Skating Union in 1967. In 1985, The Bulgarian Skating and Ice Hockey Federation was split to form separate federations for figure skating, speed skating, and ice hockey.

Senior medalists

Men's singles

Women's singles

Pairs

Ice dance

Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski, eleven-time Bulgarian champions ice dance, received the Order of Stara Planina, the highest honor that Bulgarian citizens can receive, in April 2007 from Georgi Parvanov, President of Bulgaria, for their contributions to sport in Bulgaria. In 2012, the first edition of the Denkova-Staviski Cup – an international figure skating competition named in honor of Denkova and Staviski – was held for the first time at the Winter Sports Palace in Sofia.

Junior medalists

Men's singles

Women's singles

Records

References

External links