Bulgaria men's national volleyball team

Bulgaria

Association	Bulgarian Volleyball Federation
Confederation	CEV
Website	www.volleyball.bg (Bulgarian) (English)
Head coach	Silvano Prandi
FIVB ranking	4 (as of 2009-07-28)
Olympics
Appearances	6

The Bulgaria men's national volleyball team, controlled by the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, is one of the leading volleyball teams in Europe and the world.

Its achievements include one silver medal from the World Championship (1970) and four bronze medals (1949, 1952, 1986, 2006), as well as one fourth place (1962). From the European Championship, Bulgaria has won one second place (1951) and four third (1955, 1981, 1983, and 2009) and four fourth places (1948, 1963, 1967 and 1995). Bulgaria has also won a silver medal from the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow, and has a fourth place from the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The team's World Cup has won one bronze medal (2007) and one fourth place in 1969. Other achievements are the three World League fourth places (1994, 2004 and 2006).

The team's most relevant recent results were winning third place in the 2006 Volleyball World Championship, the 2007 World Cup, and the 2009 Men's European Volleyball Championship.

Results

Olympic Games

• 1964 — 5th place
• 1968 — 6th place
• 1972 — 4th place
• 1976 — did not qualify
• 1980 — 2nd place
• 1984 — did not compete
• 1988 — 6th place
• 1992 — did not qualify
• 1996 — 7th place
• 2000 — did not qualify
• 2004 — did not qualify
• 2008 — 5th place

World Championship

• 1949 — 3rd place
• 1952 — 3rd place
• 1956 — 5th place
• 1960 — did not compete
• 1962 — 4th place
• 1966 — 7th place
• 1970 — 2nd place
• 1974 — 7th place
• 1978 — 10th place
• 1982 — 5th place
• 1986 — 3rd place
• 1990 — 5th place
• 1994 — 9th place
• 1998 — 7th place
• 2002 — 13th place
• 2006 — 3rd place

European Championship

• 1948 —did not qualify

• 1950 — 4th place
• 1951 — 2nd place
• 1955 — 3rd place
• 1958 — 4th place
• 1963 — 4th place
• 1967 — 9th place
• 1971 — 7th place
• 1975 — 5th place
• 1977 — 5th place
• 1979 — 10th place
• 1981 — 3rd place
• 1983 — 3rd place
• 1985 — 5th place
• 1987 — 11th place
• 1989 — 6th place
• 1991 — 5th place
• 1993 — 5th place
• 1995 — 4th place
• 1997 — 9th place
• 1999 — 7th place
• 2001 — 6th place
• 2003 — 9th place (tied)
• 2005 — did not qualify
• 2007 — 8th place
• 2009 — 3rd place

Bulgaria in the World League

Bulgaria national volleyball team at the 2006 Volleyball World Championship in Japan.

Bulgaria was first invited to take part in the World League in 1994. In its debut season in the tournament the team managed to finish fourth led by players like Lubo Ganev, Dimo Tonev, Martin Stoev, etc. In the next four editions Bulgaria took part but did not manage to tie or beat its first season performance- it came fifth in 1995, eight in 1996, sixth in 1997, and seventh in 1998. Bulgaria was then excluded from the World League until the 2003 season. It has been a constant participant ever since and among the contestants for the final phase of the tournament. Under the guidance of Milorad Kijac the new wave of players including Teodor Salparov, Danail Mihaylov, etc. mixed well with the more experienced Evgeni Ivanov, Plamen Konstantinov, Nikolay Ivanov, Vladimir Nikolov, Hristo Tsvetanov to come fifth in 2003. The next year once again under Kijac the team played some impressive games and succeeded to tie its best performance of finishing fourth. The team included more players of the Under-21 team that the previous year managed to win a medal at the World Championships such as Matey Kaziyski and Milushev. In 2005 with a new coach, Martin Stoev, the team finished fifth, followed by another tied best-ever performance- fourth in 2006, and another fifth in 2007.

Team (Eurovolley 2009)

Head coach: Silvano Prandi

Number	Name	Birthdate	Age (2009)	Club
1	Georgi Bratoev	21 October 1987	21	Levski Siconco
2	Hristo Tsvetanov	29 March 1978	31	Lokomotiv-Izumrud
3	Andrey Zhekov	12 March 1980	29	Patron Patra
4	Vladislav Ivanov	14 March 1987	22	Levski Siconco
5	Krasimir Gaydarski	23 February 1984	25	SCC Berlin
6	Matey Kaziyski	29 September 1984	24	Trentino Volley SPA
9	Metodi Ananiev	17 February 1986	23	Bandar-Ehomeyni
10	Valentin Bratoev	21 October 1987	21	Quasar Massa
11	Vladimir Nikolov	3 October 1977	31	Bre Banka Lannuti
12	Viktor Yosifov	16 October 1985	23	M. Roma Volley
13	Teodor Salparov	16 August 1982	27	Dinamo Moscow
15	Todor Aleksiev	21 April 1983	26	Halkbank
19	Tsvetan Sokolov	31 December 1989	19	Trentino Volley SPA

References