is primarily specialized in the fields of Bulgarian and international sports law.
Kolev Todorovska is a law firm situated in Sofia, Bulgaria, which is primarily specialized in the fields of Bulgarian and international sports law. It has been founded in 2015 uniting the expertizes and the experience of its managing partners Boris Kolev and Elena Todorovska, who was previously working together on various legal issues involving the Bulgarian football club CSKA Sofia.
Kolev Todorovska is practicing actively international and Bulgarian sports law by representing and defending successfully numerous Bulgarian and foreign sports clubs, federations, and individual athletes before the respective competent (Bulgarian and international) arbitration bodies and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Kolev Todorovska has extensive experience in anti-doping matters.
In 2015 Kolev Todorovska defended successfully 11 Bulgarian weightlifters who tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol during a training camp by managing to prove that the positive test was due to contamination caused by a food supplement called Trybest. In result, instead of 4 year bans for first offences and lifetime bans for second offences, the athletes received 9 and 18 months, respectively. The reduced sanctions constituted absolute precedent in the history of doping sanctions in weightlifting for the use of anabolic steroids.
Later, Kolev and Todorovska successfully challenged two times the fine of USD 500,000 imposed on the Bulgarian Weightlifting Federation for admitting more than 9 anti-doping rules violations during one year. In both cases the respective decisions of the International Weightlifting Federation imposing the fine were set aside by the CAS.
In 2016 Kolev and Todorovska defended successfully the Bulgarian athlete of the year at that time – the triple jumper Gabriela Petrova, who tested positive for meldonium. The provisional suspension was lifted with no further consequences for the athlete.
In 2017 Kolev and Todorovska represented the Cuban long jumper Wilfredo Martinez, whose Beijing 2008 sample was reopened and prohibited substance was detected. Due to the long time elapsed the defense was rendered particularly difficult in the view of absence of fresh evidence. However, a reduced sanction of 1 year of ineligibility was successfully negotiated with IAAF.
In 2018 Kolev and Todorovska successfully proved No Fault or Negligence on the part of a football player, who tested positive for cocaine due to a hair analysis, which showed that the intake of the prohibited substance was merely an accident. In addition to the hair analysis, the defense was based also on the expert opinion of a doctor, with whom Kolev and Todorovska was collaborating. The opinion was based on scientific articles and the calculations made showed that the amount was significantly minor and it was not possible to be sensed let alone improving the sporting performance of the player. This way, the arguments for No Fault or Negligence prevailed over other possible scenarios. Both WADA and FIFA carefully and extensively examined the case in the course of a month and ultimately decided not to appeal before the CAS.
Kolev and Todorovska are currently having more doping cases pending before the CAS. Also, the law firm is advising on permanent basis sports federation and individual athletes regarding doping related matters and procedures.
Kolev Todorovska Law Firm advised the Ministry of Sport of the Republic of Bulgaria on the anti-doping chapter of the new Law on Physical Education and Sport, which entered into force in January 2019.
Kolev is among the most renowned lawyers and researchers in the fields of Bulgarian and international sports law. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Business Law from the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary 2004) and has specialization in international sports law from the International Sports Law Centre (ISLC) at T.M.C. ASSER Institute (the Hague, the Netherlands 2006). He had long years of extensive cooperation with ISLC. Within the framework of this cooperation he published the articles TV Rights in Bulgarian Football, Players’ Contracts in Bulgarian Football, and Lex Sportiva and Lex Mercatoria; the chapters on Bulgaria in the books Players’ Agents Worldwide: Legal Aspects (T.M.C. ASSER Press 2007), TV Rights and Sport: Legal Aspects (T.M.C. ASSER Press 2009), The International Guide to the Taxation of Sportsmen and Sportswomen (NOLOT BV 2007), Sports and Betting: Law and Policy (T.M.C ASSER Press.2011), Study on the Equal Treatment of Non-national in the Individual Sports Competitions, (Project of T.M.C. ASSER Institute financed by the European Commission), Sports Image Rights in Europe and Beyond (T.M.C ASSER Press.2014) and others.
In 2008 his monograph Sports Law of Bulgaria was published by Kluwer Law International as a part of the project International Encyclopaedia of Laws. This monograph was the first ever comprehensive study on the various legal aspects of the Bulgarian sports movement and since then encountered several editions including twice as a separate book. In 2014 Kluwer Law International published also his book Media Law in Bulgaria.
In the period between 2008 and 2012 Boris Kolev was a member of the Advisory Board of the International Sports Law Journal. After that period he continued his cooperation with ISLC by revising articles proposed for publication in the journal.
Since 2005 Boris Kolev has extensively participated in various international projects related to sports law such as “Sport and Work” – a project run by the University of Lille 2, the project “Reinforce the Representativeness of the Social Partners in the Sport Sector: Row the Boat Project and the project “Moving forward towards European Social Dialogue in the Sport Sector: Content and Contact – both projects by EURO-MEI and EASE co-financed by the European Commission.
In 2012 his article Lex Sportiva and Lex Mercatoria was selected and included in the book Lex Sportiva: What is Sports Law issued by T.M.C. ASSER Press and since then this article became extensively quoted and referenced by other scholars and researchers in the field.
In 2013 Boris Kolev became Doctor of Laws from the Plovdiv University Paisii Hilendarski after successfully defending doctoral thesis titled Administrative aspects in the activity of the sports federations in the Republic of Bulgaria under the supervision of the prominent Bulgarian professor in administrative law Dr. Kino Lazarov.
Since 2008 Dr. Boris Kolev is practicing actively international and Bulgarian sports law by representing and defending successfully numerous Bulgarian and foreign sports clubs, federations, individual athletes and players’ agents before the respective competent (Bulgarian and international) arbitration bodies and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Dr. Boris Kolev is particularly specialized in defending athletes against charges for anti-doping rules violations.
Is having education in law and economics with additional specializations in contract law, commercial law, copyright law and the law of the European Union as well as civil procedure. Author of articles. She has long years of experience in establishing, representing and managing numerous associations and foundations.
Elena Todorovska is a member of the Sofia Bar since 2010. She is practicing in the areas of commercial law, property law, intellectual property law, sports law and others.
Since 2006 Elena Todorovska is member of the Management Board of Professor Kiril Stefanov Foundation and is actively working for the mission of the foundation – preservation of Bulgarian folklore and seeking new forms for reaching larger audience.
In 2008 she became a member of the Management Board of football club Miroviane 2001 where she gained experience in the management of a football (sports) club.
In 2015 Elena Todorovska set up the Comet Junior Football Academy, via which she brought the first and the second Juventus Junior Camp in Bulgaria.
In 2017 Elena Todorovska became President and Executive Director of Wonderful World Foundation, established by the British racing driver and founder of Strakka Racing Nick Leventis.
As of 2013 Elena Todorovska is practicing actively international and Bulgarian sports law by representing and defending successfully Bulgarian and foreign sports clubs, federations and athletes. She acted as a court representative of PFC CSKA AD in more than 60 court proceedings and also in licensing and monitoring procedures.
Elena Todorovska is currently chairing the Appellate Committee of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation and she is a member of the Contract Stability Committee of the Bulgarian Football Union.