Vladimir Stoichev
Date of Birth: 24.03.1892
Country: Bulgaria |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Vladimir Stoychev was born on either March 24, 1892, in Sarajevo or April 7, 1893, in Sofia. His mother, Elena Petrovich, was the daughter of the mayor of Sarajevo. At around six months of age, Vladimir and his parents moved to Bulgaria and settled in Sofia. His father, Dimitar Stoychev, was an adjutant to Prince Alexander Battenberg of Bulgaria and a Swiss-educated lawyer.
After his father's death when Vladimir was only 11 years old, his mother sent him to his aunt in Vienna, whose husband was the cavalry officer Arthur von Pонграц. With the support of his aunt's family, Vladimir spent seven years at the Austrian military academy "Maria Theresia," where children of many crowned heads and nobility from around the world were also educated. In addition to his studies, Stoychev dedicated himself to sports.
Military Career
After graduating from the military academy, Stoychev received further training at the Military School in Sofia (1912), the Cavalry School (1918), the Staff Officer Course (1926), and the Military Academy in Sofia (1929). He was fluent in nine languages.
Stoychev's military career began in 1912 during the Balkan War, where he served as commander of a картеční eskadróna (machine gun squadron) in the 1st Cavalry Regiment. During World War I, he commanded a platoon in the 8th Cavalry Regiment and was later transferred to the Guards Cavalry Regiment. From 1919 onward, he served as an instructor in horsemanship at the Cavalry School and later served in the 9th Gendarmerie Cavalry Regiment.
In the following years, Stoychev held various positions, including superintendent of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, commander of a special squadron in the 6th Cavalry Regiment, and military attaché in France and Great Britain. In 1934, he was transferred to the reserve but continued to serve as chief of staff of the Cavalry Inspectorate and in the 10th Divisional Region in Kardzhali.
Stoychev participated in the coup d'état of 19 May 1934, which brought the government of Kимон Георгиев to power. However, after Tsar Boris III consolidated his power and suppressed disloyal officers, Stoychev was retired, arrested, and interned in Malko-Tarnovo.
In 1944, Stoychev participated in the coup d'état of 9 September, which brought pro-Soviet forces to power. In the months following the coup, he was appointed chief of the Sofia garrison and then commander of the 1st Army, formed by order of the Minister of War, Damian Velchev, on 21 November 1944. Political Commissars from the communist party were assigned to units in the army. Stoychev himself joined the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1944 and became a member of the bureau of the National Council of the Fatherland Front.
Under Stoychev's command, the army fought in the Belgrade, Vienna, and Graz-Amsttetten offensive operations from 1944 to 1945, reaching the Austrian Alps, the furthest point in the history of the Bulgarian armed forces. On 8 May, he signed a demarcation agreement with the commander of the 8th British Army. On 24 June 1945, General Stoychev participated in the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow.
From 1945 to 1947, he headed the Bulgarian diplomatic mission in the United States and to the United Nations.
Sports Career
Stoychev was actively involved in equestrian sports. He was a co-founder of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee in 1923 and competed in several international competitions. He achieved notable victories in dressage, including winning the Grand Prix of Lucerne in 1927 and the Silver Cup at the tournament in Madrid in 1932. He also competed in eventing and dressage at the Olympic Games in Paris 1924 (placing 17th) and Amsterdam 1928.
Following the war, Stoychev was appointed chairman of the Supreme Committee for Physical Culture and Sports in 1947. He served as chairman of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee from 1952 to 1982, and from 1982 as its honorary chairman. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1952 to 1987 and served on its Executive Committee from 1956 to 1960, being the only representative from a socialist country.
Stoychev was also president of the Bulgarian Equestrian Federation and a member of the executive committee of the International Equestrian Federation. He held significant authority in the international sports movement. Sofia hosted the 53rd IOC Session in 1957 (the first such event in an Eastern European country), and Varna hosted the 10th Congress and 74th Session of the IOC in 1973.