Confidence in Bulgaria’s chances in the discipline was voiced by Bulgarian Olympic Committee President Vesela Lecheva, who praised the country’s snowboard talents.

Radoslav Yankov, Tervel and Malena Zamfirovi, and Aleksandar Krashnyak are among Bulgaria’s main medal hopes at the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. All four will compete in the snowboard parallel giant slalom, scheduled for February 8 — less than 48 hours after the official opening of the Games.

Qualifying runs in Livigno begin at 10:00 a.m., with the finals starting at 2:00 p.m. Confidence in Bulgaria’s chances in the discipline was voiced by Bulgarian Olympic Committee President Vesela Lecheva, who praised the country’s snowboard talents.

“The most important moments come immediately after the opening, as we prepare for our snowboarders’ competition on February 8. Let’s wish them success. I am in regular contact with their coaches — preparation is going well and the athletes are in good spirits. They are young, talented and already highly successful. Their confidence is well deserved,” Lecheva said.

Bulgaria has never before fielded four snowboarders at a Winter Olympics, placing the country among the leading nations in the discipline. Yankov is the most experienced member of the team, competing at his fourth Olympic Games, while the other three will be making their Olympic debut.

In the men’s event, Italian local favourite Roland Fischnaller is among the gold medal contenders, despite never having won Olympic gold in his four previous appearances — Salt Lake City 2002 (19th), Turin 2006 (13th), Vancouver 2010 (18th) and Beijing 2022 (4th). In the women’s competition, Czech star Ester Ledecká appears the strongest contender. The 30-year-old already has Olympic gold from PyeongChang 2018 and another title from Beijing four years later.

The same day also marks the start of Bulgaria’s cross-country skiers Mario Matikanov and Daniel Peshkov in the 10+10 km pursuit, while the programme concludes with the biathlon mixed relay, featuring Blagoy Todev, Vladimir Iliev, Lora Hristova and Milena Todorova.

Bulgaria’s Olympic programme

February 8
10:00 – Snowboard, parallel giant slalom, qualifications (women/men)
13:30 – Cross-country skiing, 10+10 km pursuit (men)
14:00 – Snowboard, parallel giant slalom, finals (women/men)
15:05 – Biathlon, mixed relay

February 9
20:00 – Ski jumping, normal hill, first round (men)
21:12 – Ski jumping, normal hill, final (men)

February 10
10:15 – Cross-country skiing, sprint, qualifications (women)
10:55 – Cross-country skiing, sprint, qualifications (men)
14:30 – Biathlon, individual 20 km (men)

February 11
15:15 – Biathlon, individual 15 km (women)

February 12
14:00 – Cross-country skiing, 10 km interval start (women)

February 13
12:45 – Cross-country skiing, 10 km interval start (men)
15:00 – Biathlon, sprint 10 km (men)

February 14
11:00 – Alpine skiing, giant slalom, first run (men)
14:30 – Alpine skiing, giant slalom, second run (men)
15:45 – Biathlon, sprint 7.5 km (women)
19:45 – Ski jumping, large hill, first round (men)
20:57 – Ski jumping, large hill, final (men)

February 15
11:00 – Alpine skiing, giant slalom, first run (women)
14:30 – Alpine skiing, giant slalom, second run (women)

February 16
11:00 – Alpine skiing, slalom, first run (men)
14:30 – Alpine skiing, slalom, second run (men)

February 17
15:30 – Biathlon, 4×7.5 km relay (men)
19:45 – Figure skating, short programme (women)

February 18
11:00 – Alpine skiing, slalom, first run (women)
14:30 – Alpine skiing, slalom, second run (women)
15:45 – Biathlon, 4×6 km relay (women)

February 19
20:00 – Figure skating, free programme (women). | BGNES