FORMER high jump athlete and world record holder Stefka Kostadinova is the new president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee.

She replaces Ivan Slavkov, who lost the post after a controversy following media reports linking him to alleged "buying of votes" for the 2012 Olympics, which led to his expulsion from the International Olympic Committee and all the institutions of the Olympic movement.

There were two rounds of voting at the BOC General Assembly, held at the National Palace of Culture on November 11.

In the first round, none of the candidates got more than 50 per cent of the BOC delegates' votes, so Kostadinova and Svetla Ozetova, the two candidates who received the most votes, had to go to a second round.

In the second round, Kostadinova received four more votes than her opponent and became the first woman in the history of Bulgarian sport to be elected BOC president.

Speaking after the election, she said that she was very pleased that for the first time a well known sports personality will lead the Bulgarian Olympic movement.

"I am very happy, because this is a big step forward for Bulgarian sports after 20 years of undemocratic elections for this position. I would like to thank everybody who voted for me and supported me. I hope that after four years (when the next election is scheduled) the voting will go in a similar fashion. This would be a sign that I have done my job the right way. I would also like to thank those people that did not vote for me, it was their right to choose whoever they wanted," she said.

She said that her first task as BOC president would be to meet the Speaker of Parliament, Georgi Pirinski, and discuss the relationships between BOC and the State Agency for Youth and Sports.

"My primary goal is to make both institutions work together in the name of Bulgarian sport," Kostadinova said.

Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev sent a congratulatory telegram to the new BOC president.

"I am very happy that you were elected to this position. I am sure you will give everything you can for the development of Bulgarian sport. Your successful results as an athlete brought great excitement to all Bulgarians. I hope, and I am sure, that you will achieve the same results as BOC president," Stanishev said.