“The situation in the national volleyball team is very good” despite the disappointing absence of captain Plamen Konstantinov, Dancho Lazarov, head of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation told private broadcaster bTV. Konstantinov mysteriously disappeared before the teams’ first game at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On August 12, Bulgarian Olympic Committee head Stefka Kostainova confirmed media reports that his absence resulted from detected high levels of testosterone.

“What has happened resulted mainly from the tests the national anti-doping laboratory had made in Pravets. I understand that there is a protocol to show that all the players results are negative […] if there were players with positive results the tests would have been sent to the world anti-doping laboratory,” he said. “In Korea [where the team went on preparation camp] we received a call from doctor Karova, who studied the tests results in Pravets and she told me that Plamen’s results were alarming.”

Konstantinov tried to take a doping test in Korea, but could not. He was denied a test in Beijing as well. “There were two alternatives for Plamen – firstly he’d have to find a way to take the test, and if the results came back positive he’d be able to stay in the Olympic village but would be unable to play. If the results came back clear he’d be able to continue playing in the team.” Lazarov said.

The initial information given to the Olympic committee was that Konstantinov would be unable to play due to medical circumstances, which was just was an attempt to get the team out of a bad situation.  “That was what we wrote in the letter to the organisation committee as a reason why the team will only compete with 11 people,” Lazarov said. “We couldn’t write that we suspected anything.”

According to former female volleyball international Antonina Zetova, everyone in the delegation panicked and started acting chaotically.

“Even without Plamen our team is good one,” she told bTV.