The 48-year-old, who still holds the women's high jump world record of 2.09 metres she set at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, will lead her nation's National Olympic Committee for the next four years, seeing it through both Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.

"Thank you," said Kostadinova, who won gold at Atlanta 1996 in an Olympic record of 2.05m.

"Let's be a family, a team, not divide, without scandals.

"Hopefully we can win together."

After retiring in 1999, Kostadinova, who also has silver medal from the Seoul 1988 Olympics to her name, began a career in sport administration, becoming vice-president of both the Bulgarian Athletics Federation and BOC, as well as acting as the Deputy Sports Minister of Bulgaria between 2003 and 2005.


The athlete was elected as President of the BOC in November 2005 to replace Ivan Slavkov, who was expelled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for alleged corruption after he was exposed as being prepared to sell his vote to London's bid for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

Kostadinova was re-elected for a second term in office at the head of the BOC four years later.