Bulgaria: 11 facts on the Sochi 2014 Paralympics

The Balkan country will be celebrating its twentieth year competing at the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. 07 Feb 2014

The Bulgarian team is led through the stadium by flag bearer Aleksandar Stoyanov during the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympic Games

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By IPC

• Bulgaria made its debut at the Paralympic Winter Games in 1994 and has taken part in every edition since.

• Bulgaria has yet to win a medal at the Paralympic Winter Games.

• Bulgaria has participated in cross-country events at every Paralympic Winter Games edition since its debut in 1994. The only other sport it has competed in is biathlon in 2006.

• Yoanna Ermenkova's 11th place in women's 1km cross-country skiing sprint classic style visually impaired at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games is Bulgaria's best result.

• At the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin Ivan Ivanov participated in both cross-country skiing and biathlon.

• At the last two Paralympic Winter Games (2006 and 2010) all of Bulgaria's six athletes participated in a visually impaired event.

• Aleksandar Stoyanov competed in cross-country at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games and in long jump T13 at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon.

• Bulgaria has won 14 medals at the Paralympic Games: four gold, seven silver and three bronze. It has won 13 of these medals in athletics and one in swimming; a silver medal for Polina Dzhurova in women's 100m backstroke S6 in 1996.

• Georgi Sakelov is Bulgaria's most successful athlete with three gold medals and five in total, in discus throw and shot put in 1988, 1992 and 1996.

• Bulgaria claimed three medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, all in athletics.

• Stela Eneva took two of these three medals in 2012, both silver. With three silver medals in total, she is Bulgaria's most decorated woman at the Paralympic Games.

Athletes:

Nordic skiing

Svetoslav GEORGIEV

Zhelyaz KOLEV