Sofia brings together top gymnasts for the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup

Ninety-four individual competitors and 22 groups from 52 countries will compete at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Sofia from March 28 to 30. The event will take place at Arena Sofia. Interest in the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup is extremely high, as it is part of the qualification process for the Olympic Games. All of the sport’s leading stars are expected to take part, with the exception of the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist Darja Varfolomeev (Germany).

Bulgaria will be represented in the individual competition by Stiliana Nikolova and Eva Brezalieva. The gymnasts will perform their new routines, as well as the ones they will compete with this year, enriched with new elements.

The Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics group, consisting of Sofia Ivanova, Raya Bozhilova, Magdalena Valkova, Magdalina Minevska, and Emilia Obretenova, includes two debutants, as head coach Vesela Dimitrova is currently working to build the best possible lineup.

“The group has prepared two new routines, which are genuine masterpieces”, says Rosina Atanasova, Secretary General of the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation. “These outstanding routines are the work of Vesela Dimitrova, who has once again surpassed herself. In the individual competition, Eva Brezalieva will perform an entirely new program on all four apparatus, titled ‘To Dance Your Dreams’, while Stiliana Nikolova will retain last year’s program, with the exception of her hoop routine. The other routines, however, have been significantly reworked and made more complex. As for the music, the group’s five-ball routine is set to Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, while the other routine is based on a kind of musical game featuring the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices choir. Stiliana Nikolova will also perform to classical music, and this will happen for the first time in her hoop routine. All of the routines differ greatly in style, with the aim of bringing a distinct character to life in each one.

The preparation of the Bulgarian girls is going very well, says Rosina Atanasova. “I hope they deliver their routines at their best in the first competition of the season, bearing in mind that the preparation is focused on the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in May and the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in August”, Rosina Atanasova said in an interview with Radio Bulgaria.

The Secretary General of the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation sees the toughest competition for the Bulgarian gymnasts coming from Taisiia Onofriichuk of Ukraine, who is having an exceptional season, as well as from the Italian star Sofia Raffaeli and the strong presence of the Uzbek representatives. For the first time, Russian gymnasts and Alina Harnasko—the top gymnast from Belarus—will compete as neutral athletes.

There will be pleasant surprises for the audience at the opening on Saturday. “Some of our young athletes and children will be performing. As always, we’ve made every effort to make it beautiful and classy”, Rosina Atanasova said further.

“Two hundred and ten children, like little angels of kindness, will take the floor in a mass routine conveying a message of love, light, and home. To the sounds of the timeless song ‘Oblache le byalo’, performed live by Filip Donkov with piano and guitar accompaniment, Sofia will breathe in the rhythm of the Bulgarian soul’’, the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation said on its Facebook page.

The stage will also feature the inspiring story of Vasilena Bogdanova, a gymnast with Down syndrome. The silver medalist from a world championship will compete in the Down Syndrome World Championship across five sports, including rhythmic gymnastics, which will be held in Sofia from June 13 to 19. “The opening of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup will also send as a strong message of support, equality, and inspiration ahead of this major event”, notes the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.

The President of the International Gymnastics Federation, Morinari Watanabe, three of the vice presidents, and the President of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee, Noha Abou Shabana, will attend the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup. According to Rosina Atanasova, this is due to the implementation of a new scoring system by the Japanese company Seiko, which will be applied for the first time.

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov