Bulgarian Olympian Antani Ivanov Retires From Swimming Amid Controversial Suspension
Following a tumultuous few years, Bulgarian Olympian Antani Ivanov has officially signaled his retirement from competitive swimming.
A graduate of Virginia Tech, Ivanov broke out in 2017 at the World Championships in Budapest. His national record 1:55.55 in the prelims of the 200 butterfly opened the door for his first senior international final. He was the first Bulgarian swimmer to make a World Championship final in 10 years. In his lone Olympic appearance, he finished 20th in his signature 200 butterfly. In 2022, he just missed the semifinals with an 18th place finish at Worlds.
Initial Doping Suspension
After developing into one of Bulgaria’s top swimming prospects, Ivanov was handed a two year doping ban for whereabouts violations in anti-doping testing. Ivanov had missed three doping tests on paper. His story does not fit with the narrative Bulgarian Swimming has posed about him. In an interview with the Big Friendly Swim Podcast, Ivanov claims he missed a test, but also tested negative within the same day. Another missed test was logged while he attended the 2021 Short Course Worlds. In Abu Dhabi, Internet issues made it difficult to update his location. Despite this, Ivanov cites being publicly at a World Aquatics meet as clear evidence of not evading doping testers. Adamant in his innocence, he proclaimed “swimming in Bulgaria dies without me.” His suspension was backdated to 2022, but that decision still ruled him out of competing at the Paris Olympics.
Ivanov has been an outspoken critic of the Bulgarian Swimming Federation. In 2021, three Bulgarian athletes made statements that the country’s swimming governing body had given them pills at a team training camp. The subsequent result saw the three swimmers test positive for Stanozolol. Ivanov openly discussed the threats against his life he has received and how that weighed on him as he tried to navigate a path back in the water.
A Second Suspension and Retirement
In 2024, Ivanov’s two year suspension was nearing its conclusion. In May, a second two year ban was levied for alleged disrespectful conduct. Suddenly, the narrative shifted Ivanov’s way. With his two year suspension set to be up in October 2024, the clock had now reset to March 2026. Ivanov alleges that the head of the Bulgarian Swimming Federation brought the second ban down single handedly.
After searching for a new country to call home, Ivanov called it a career. On November, he posted a career highlight photo to his Instagram with a retirement message. In a bittersweet post, he cited that if he truly was on a performance enhancing steroid, he’d be back in the pool competing already. When asked about his feelings on the matter, Ivanov’s response was simple: “If another country is ready to give me a passport, I’ll be back.”
Ivanov retires with his name attached to a dozen national records. His final international competition came at the 2022 Short Course World Championships. In the coming months, he is drafting an open letter to World Aquatics to gain some attention to the struggles he’s gone through.