Bulgarian wrestlers Novikov and Milov excluded from World Championships

The Bulgarian Wrestling Federation has confirmed that top wrestlers Semen Novikov and Kiril Milov will not participate in the upcoming World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. The decision stems from ongoing tension between the federation and the CSKA club.

The Federation stated that participation in national team training camps is a mandatory requirement for competing in European, World, and Olympic championships. According to the Federation, athletes from CSKA received nine invitations to these training camps but failed to attend. The Federation emphasized that rules must apply equally to all athletes regardless of their club affiliation.

As a result of these absences, Bulgaria will field a significantly reduced squad. In Greco-Roman wrestling, only three athletes are registered: Dimitar Georgiev, Stoyan Kubatov, and Aik Mnatsakanyan. In the women's category, only Bilyana Dudova is scheduled to compete. The freestyle team will include six wrestlers, including Olympic champion Magomed Ramazanov. The championships are scheduled to take place from October 24 to November 1.