Triumph of the Bulgarian Spirit in the Heart of Japan
Athletes from Sports Club "Bushido" – Nesebar recorded a historic performance at the world's largest Full-Contact Karate championship – the "Karate Dream Festival 2026 International Championship". The prestigious tournament was held at the iconic Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo, gathering the elite of contact martial arts.
"This is the most successful participation of Bulgarians in the history of the championship, breaking the record from 2010," the organizers noted.
SC Bushido Medalists
- Kaloyan Dimitrov – Champion (1st place) in the "Junior High – 65 kg, Intermediate Divisions" category.
- Ivan Kostov – Vice-champion (2nd place) in the "Junior High – 65 kg, Intermediate Divisions" category.
- Hristo Terziev – Bronze medalist (3rd place) in the "Seniors 55-60 – 65 kg" men's division.
The other club representatives also gave a worthy performance on the tatami: Stefan Dimitrov, Atanas Dimitrov, and Dragomir Antov. Their participation in such a high-level forum is proof of the hard work and high sportsmanship of the karatekas from Nesebar.
Record-Breaking Championship and Bulgarian Success
The tournament in Japan entered the Guinness World Records with its impressive 4,057 participants. Bulgaria was represented by a total of 18 athletes. In addition to the medalists from Nesebar, Siyana Stratieva (Primorsko) and Nadya Vasileva (Burgas) also won gold. Both athletes are students of Shihan Hristo Terziev and Sensei Lachezar Dimitrov, reinforcing the authority of the Bulgarian karate school on a global scale.