Dzhenko Sabev was part of the Bulgarian equestrian team that competed at the 1980 Moskva Olympics where he rode the horse Normativ. Sabev was in 12th place following the dressage element of the individual competition but was disqualified in the cross-country. His teammate Trifon Datsinski was also disqualified in the cross-country event, meaning that Bulgaria failed to have the minimum of three riders to finish to count towards their team placings. Sabev also competed at various editions of the World and European championships before becoming a coach of the national team.