Last year, Neterra announced its support for Dimitar Kalchev and Dimitar Mehandzhiyski - two young Bulgarian athletes driven to represent their country at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Today, this partnership is yielding stronger results than ever as the duo enters their busiest season yet.
Spending the Winter in Brazil
The season kicked off with an intensive training camp in Brazil, funded by Neterra. For 25 days, Kalchev and Mehandzhiyski trained alongside some of the world's top duos under the guidance of a Brazilian coach. "It was an incredibly valuable experience. We truly got a taste of world-class volleyball," they shared.
New Coach, New Momentum
Since the beginning of 2026, the team has been working with a professional coach, Konstantin Mitev. Mitev is a multiple-time Bulgarian national beach volleyball champion, a two-time Balkan champion, and a European medal winner. "Without a coach, we had hit a developmental ceiling. With him, we are only going up," the volleyball players noted.
Tournaments Across Four Countries
The spring season was packed with action. Kalchev and Mehandzhiyski secured third place at a tournament in Turkey, followed by another third-place finish at the Nations Cup in Cyprus. Most recently, they finished fourth at an international tournament in Sveti Vlas, which featured teams from 28 countries. "In the last two matches, we were leading but lost in the tie-break. We could have made it to the finals," the duo shared with a hint of disappointment, yet they were confident that their performance is steadily improving.
What’s Next
Up next are the Balkan Championship in Turkey, an international World Tour event at the same venue, and a tournament in Sweden. The schedule for the second half of the year is filling up gradually, as the duo aims to strike the perfect balance between playing as many tournaments as possible and maintaining high-quality preparation.
Staking Out Olympic Points
The Olympic qualification window officially opens 365 days before the Games. Until then, Kalchev and Mehandzhiyski are strategically building international experience and climbing the World Tour ranks to enter the qualification cycle as established players. “When the Olympic points start to count, we'll know who to play against and how to earn them," they explained.
"Neterra believes in people who work hard to achieve their dreams. Our support for Kalchev and Mehandzhiyski is a long-term commitment, and the results we are seeing this year give us every reason to continue on this path," commented Maya Kalcheva, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Neterra.