Vladimir Stoychev

Vladimir Stoychev was a career military man who studied at the Maria Theresa Academy in Wien (Vienna) and the Sofia Cavalry School. From 1930-34 Stoychev served as Bulgarian Military Attaché in Paris and London. In 1934 he became head of the Sofia Cavalry School, and that same year became a board member of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). He eventually became commander of the Bulgarian Army, after fighting in the Balkan Wars and World War I, and led the Bulgarian Army in World War II against Germany, after it had switched allegiance to the Allies. In 1945 he signed the demarcation agreement with the British and in June 1945 took part in the Moskva Victory Parade. From 1945-47 he was Bulgaria’s representative in Washington, DC and at the United Nations.

In sports, Stoychev was an Olympian who competed in three-day event and dressage at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics. He won numerous equestrian trophies, including the 1927 Dressage Grand Prix in Luzern. Upon his return to Bulgaria in 1947 he became Chairman of the Supreme Court of Sports with the Council of Ministers. From 1952-82, Stoychev served as President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. He was co-opted onto the IOC in February 1952, resigning in May 1987, after which he was made an Honorary Member. Stoychev also served on the Executive Board from 1956-60. He died at age 98, through 2014 the longest-lived of all IOC Members.