History of BCF
| Chronology of the first international participations, first successes of the Bulgarian canoe at international competitions, European and World championships and Olympic games. |
| 1954 | First Republican championship. |
| 1956 | Bulgarian became member of the International Federation of Canoe. |
| 1957 | First participation of Bulgarian canoe-kayak in the World Youth Festival in Moscow with men. First appearance in the finals; Bogdan Ivanov – C1 1000m – IV, Velko Dushkov and Boris Gebedjiev C 2- 1000 m – VII, and Mladen Djulgerov and Valentin Angelov – the same discipline – VIII. The kayak competitors did not succeed to finish at the final. |
| 1958 | Bilateral meeting in Sofia between Bulgaria and Rumania . First participation of the woman kayak. Stefka Zarkova finished third at K1 – 500 m and at K2 -500 m with Ekaterina Popova, and Tzvetana Asenova and Bogdana Damianova – IV place. |
| 1958 | First participation in the World championship in Prague , Czechoslovaria – Velko Dushkov and Boris Gebedjeliev on C2 – 1000 m finished ninth. |
| 1959 | First participation in the European championship in Duisbourg-Germany. Bordan Ivanov in C1 1000 m – V, and Toma Sokolov and Martin Gopov in C2 took the ninth place. |
| 1960 | First participation in the Olympic games in Rome – Italy and first point with sixth place won by Toma Sokolov and Martin Gopov in C2 1000 m and Bogdan Ivanov in C1 1000 m – eight. |
| 1963 | The Bulgarian Federation of canoe-kayak was set up. First participation of the youths in the world championship in Yitse – Yugoslavia . The young man Boris Ljubenov is sixth in C1 1000m. |
| 1964 | Olympic Games in Tokyo , Japan . Bogdan Ivanov is on sixth place in 1000 m. He was given the honourable title “Honoured master of Sports”. |
| 1970 | World championship in Copenhagen- Denmark . Boris Ljubenov and Sashko Iliev won the first bronze medal for Bulgaria . |
| 1972 | Olympic Games in Munich . Ivan Burchin and Fedi Damianov won the first Olympic bronze medal in C2 – 1000 m. |
| 1977 | World championship in Bulgaria – Pancharevo lake – Sifia. Triumphof the women kayak. First world title of Roza Boyanova, Natasha Yanakieva, Velichka Mincheva and Maria Mincheva. First golden medal for the Bulgarian kayak and bronze medal for Vanya Gesheva and Iliana Christova in K2 – 500 m. |
| 1978 | World championship in Belgrade , Yugoslavia . Lubomir Ljubenov- the first Bulgarian canoe competitor- world champion in C1 – 500 m. and sportsman No 4 of Bulgaria. Gesheva, Mincheva, Yanakieva, Nikolova won silver medal in women kayak in K4 500m. |
| 1980 | Olympic games in Moscow (USSR). Ljubomir Ljubenov,after the world title from 1978, won the Olympic title in C1 – 500 m and in C1 1000m.- vice-champion, and he opened the golden Olympic book of the Bulgarian competitors in canoe-kayak. Ljubenov is the first Bulgarian sportsman with 2 medals – golden and silver from one Olympiada. Vanya Gesheva won a silver medal for women kayak in the Olympic games and Boris Kostadinov, Bojidar Milenkov,Lazar Christov and Ivan Manev won bronze medal for the men four – first medal from Olympic games for men's kayak. Ljubomir Ljubenov deserved to be elected as a sportsman No 1 of Bulgaria for the year 1980. |
| 1981 | World Championship in Belgrade ( Yugoslavia ) – Vanya Gesheva – world vice-champion. |
| 1983 | World Championship in Tampere ( Finland ). Vanya Gesheva – world vice-champion again with K1 500 m. |
| 1984 | Sofia is a host of the International Federation of Canoe-kayak's XII Congress. Nikola Velev was elected as a member of the Board and Chairman of the International Federation technical committee. |
| 1986 | World championship in Montreal , Canada . Vanya Gesheva – world champion with single-seated kayak 500 m., and together with Diana Paliiska won the silver medal with two-seated kayak 500m. |
| 1987 | World 1987 World Championships in Duisburg, West Germany Ognyana Petrova /Dusheva/ and Ivanka Muerova K-2 500 m bronze medal |
| 1988 | Olympic games in Seoul ( South Korea ) remained memorable in the history of the Bulgarian canoe-kayak. Vanya Gesheva was the first Bulgarian Olympic competitor on K1 500 m, silver medal with Diana Paliiska and bronze one on K4 500 m. together with Diana Paliiska, Ogniana Petkova and Borislava Ivanova. Nikolai Buhalov won bronze medal on C1 1000 m, and Martin Marinov won the same on C 1 500m. Vanya Gesheva was sportswoman No 2 of Bulgaria for the year 1988, Diana Gesheva – No 9 and Martin Marinov was a sportsman No 10. |
| 1989 | Bulgaria is a host again of the world championship of the renovated channel in the city of Plovdiv . Sportsmen from 33 countries participated. Three bronze medals were won under exclusively big competition. |
| 1990 | World championship in Poznan ( Poland ). Bulgaria won 3 bronze medals again: with C1 500 m – Nikolai Buharov and two with C4 500 m and C4 500 m and 1000 m with Traicho Draganov, Paisii Ljubenov and Dean Slavov. |
| 1991 | World championship in Paris ( France ). Nikolai Buharov, Traicho Draganov, Paisii Ljubenov and Dean Slavov won bronze medal and Nikolai Buharov won two siver medals with C1 500 m ams 1000 m. |
| 1992 | Olympic games in Barcelona . Nikolai Buhalov – the excellent canoe competitor achieved unprecedented success to that date of |\bulgarian competitor on Olympic games – two golden medals with C1 500 m and 1000 m. He deserved the honour to be sportsman No 1 of Bulgaria for the year 1992. The two seated-canoe Martin Marinov and Blagovest Stoyanov won bronze medal with C2 500 m. Bulgaria won second place after Germany in number of medals. |
| 1993 | World Championship in Copenhagen ( Denmark ). Nikolai Buhalov continued his victorious march. He was the world champion with C1 500m and was the first bearer of Canoe World Cup ( set up by the International Federation 19920 Martin Marinov won fourth place and Blagovest Stoyanov won seventh place. Andrian Dushev was No 2 and Milko Kazanov was no 5 with kayak –men. |
| 1993 | World Championship for youth inRachitse – Czech republic . Bulgaria had world youth champions with canoe – Rumen Nikolov, and Atanas Angelov with C2 500 m. with C2 500 m and second gold medal with C4 500 m together with Dimitar Atanasov and Stanimir Atanasov. |
| 1994 | Championship Mexico city . The invincible Buhalov won two world titles with C1 500 m. and C1 200 m. and silver medal with C1 1000 m. Martin Marinov and Blagovest Stoyanov won bronze medal. |
| 1995 | World Championship in Duisbourgh ( Germany ) Nikolai Buhalov was again double world champion with C1 500 m. and C1 200 m. and was a bearer of the Canoe World Cup. Rumen Nikolov, Atanas Angelov, Dimitar Atanasov and Stanimir Atanasov won bronze medal with C4 500 m. – they were the young World champions on canoe among the youths in 1993. |
| 1996 | Olympic games in Atlanta (USA). Andrian Dushev and Milko Kaakov won the only bronze medal with K2 1000 m. |
| 1997 | Bulgaria was a host of the First Official European Championship for men and women in the city of Plovdiv . Nikoli Buhlov won one golden and one silver medal. Bulgaria won total five medals. Andrian Dushev and Milko Kazanov with K2 1000 m, Martin Marinov, Georgy Nikolov, Rumen Nikolov and Blagovest Stoyanov with C4 500 m. and Dimitar Atanasov and Stanimir Atanasov with C2 200 m. won bronze medals. |
| 1999 | European championship in Zagreb ( Croatia ). Petar Merkov had his star on the ascendant. He became European champion on K1 500 m. and won two silver medals on K4 1000m., and K4 500 m. together with Andrian Dushev, Milko Kazanov and PetarSibinkich. |
| 1999 | World Championship in Milan ( Italy ). Petar Merkov became world vice-champion on K1 500 m. Bulgaria won 7 olympic quotas for the 2000 year in Sidney ( Australia ) |
| 1999 | World championship for youths in Zagreb ( Croatia ). Thr youth kayak made a triumph. Jirdan Jordanov and Encho Chalukov became world champions on K2 500 m and K2 1000 m. |
| 2000 | European Championship in Poznan ( Poland ). Petar Merkov became vice champion with K1 500 m and together with Andrian Dushev, Milko Kazakov and Petar Sibinkich won two silver medals on K4 500 m and 1000 m. |
| 2000 | Olympic games in Sidney (Austarlia). Petar Merkov became vice- champion on two-seated kayak 500 m and 1000 m. |
| 2002 | European championship in Seged ( Hungary ). Petar Merkov won silver medal on K1 500 m. and together with Milko Kazanov, Ivan Christov and Jordan Jordanov won bronze medal on K4 1000 m. |
| 2002 | European championship in Seville ( Spain ). Petar Merkov won silver medal on K1 500 m. and bronze one on K4 1000 m. together with Milko Kazanov. Ivan Christov and Jordan Jordanov. Bonka Pindjeva and Deliana Dacheva won bronze medal on K2 200 m. in women competition- this was the first and the only medal won by the women during 13 years. |
| 2002 | European Championship for youths in Zagreb ( Croatia ). Dean Georgiev won silver medal on C1 1000 m. |
| 2003 | World Championship in Atlanta ( USA ). Bonka Pinjeva and Deliana Dacheva won the only one silver medal on K2 500 m. Bulgaria won 7 quotas for Olympic games in Athens ( Greece ) in 2004. |
| 2004 | European championship for men and women in Poznan ( Poland ). Bonka Pindjeva and Deliana Dacheva won bronze medal with two-seated kayak 1000 m. |
| 2004 | European championship for youths up to 23 years old in Poznan ( Poland ). Dean Georgiev won silver medal on C1 500 m. and bronze one on C1 1000 m. |
