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On December 5 in Varna, Bulgaria, during the “Golden Belt” 2025 ceremony, the annual awards of the National Association of Combat Sports in Bulgaria were presented. The Bulgarian Kendo Federation announced its most successful athletes of the past year.
The highest distinction in the men’s category — “Best Athlete 2025” — was awarded to Aleksandar Pashankov, who recorded the strongest season of his career over the past year. At just 17 years of age, he already holds the master rank of 3rd dan, an achievement that makes him the youngest kendo practitioner of this rank in Europe. Pashankov is a member of the national team and has competed at the World Championship. In 2025, he won a total of 14 podium finishes across two national and eight international competitions. His talent and development are a clear example of the progress being made in youth kendo in Bulgaria.
The President of the Bulgarian Kendo Federation, Aleksandar Arabadzhiyski, emphasized that 2025 was an exceptionally successful year, marked by a record number of participations and strong results that have established Bulgarian athletes among the most promising on the European stage.
You can watch the annual awards of the 12 federations and the “Golden Belt” 2025 ceremony of the National Association of Combat Sports on Bulgaria ON AIR television on December 27 at 19:00 EET.
