The Iranian taekwondo player Kimia Alizadeh said that she is very grateful for the opportunity to represent Bulgaria.
25-year-old Alizadeh, who fled her homeland in 2020 because of the regime there, signed a contract today with the chairman of the Bulgarian Taekwondo Federation, Slavi Binev, with whom she agrees to compete for Bulgaria.
Binev himself expressed hope that Alizadeh will be able to play for his new homeland as early as May at the European Championship in Belgrade and bring our country a medal from the Olympic Games in Paris. In 2016, she became the first Iranian woman to medal at the Olympics, reaching bronze in the 59-kilogram category.
“First of all, I want to thank every single person who helped me to get this opportunity and proudly represent Bulgaria. It will be a pleasure for me. I have a new beginning ahead of me and I hope that I will be able to show the best, which I am capable of,” said Alizadeh, who also has two world championship medals.
“Once again I want to thank everyone. I wish I could do it in Bulgarian, but I promise to learn the language,” concluded the taekwondo player.
According to Slavi Binev, Kimia Alizadeh will receive a Bulgarian passport in the coming days, which will officially allow her to compete for Bulgaria.