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Rayko Petrov was the coach of Bulgaria's first Olympic wrestling champions

Rayko Petrov
Photo: bgolympic.org

Today we mark 10 years since the death of Prof. Rayko Petrov (1930-2011) - one of the greatest figures in the history of Bulgarian wrestling, who turned it into a world power. 

For 15 years Petrov was the coach of Bulgaria's national wrestling team and prepared Bulgaria's first Olympic and world champions in this sport. He was the head of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation from 1969 to 1990. 

As a coach he participated in 12 consecutive summer Olympic Games. He was part of the Executive Committee of the World Council for Science and Sport at UNESCO and vice-president of the International Wrestling Federation.

He is featured at the International Wrestling Hall of Fame in Oklahoma, USA. He won prestigious awards for the development of wrestling worldwide. 

His research in the field of sports has been translated into a number of languages, including French, English, Spanish, German, Russian, Arabic and others.



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