The large-scale preparation of the Bulgarian national volleyball team is gaining momentum with the official announcement of the squad for upcoming international events. Coach Gianlorenzo Blengini has taken over the helm for another important tournament, forming a group of 13 players who will participate in summer activities.
A landmark moment in this year's approach is the retirement of 37-year-old Martin Bozhilov from the national team. The experienced libero officially concludes his national career, with his last commitment being in the Nations League. His place will be taken by young talent Damyan Kolev.
The preparatory camp starts on August 1 at the Arena SamElion sports complex in Samokov. The team will go through a preparatory stage with participation in a friendly tournament in Skopje, where they will face the teams of Switzerland and the Republic of North Macedonia on August 6 and 7.
The squad includes setters, diagonal players, receivers, and central blockers from different age groups. Among those called up are Simeon Nikolov, Stoil Palev, Venislav Antov, Alexander Nikolov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Georgi Tatarov, and other promising players.
The ultimate goal of the national team is a successful performance at the World Championship, which will be held between September 12 and 28 in the Philippines. The ambitions are related to proving the qualities of Bulgarian volleyball on the international stage.