Bulgaria voted ice dancing world champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski the best athletes of the year 2006.

The golden figure skating duo received 2018 points from Bulgarian journalists and editors and were awarded 30 000 leva of the total 155 000 leva prize fund.

Albena and Maxim became world champions in Calgary, Canada in March 2006. Their stature grew when they took gold at the Paris Grand Prix and soon after that were ranked in first place in the Grand Prix final in St. Peterburg, Russia in December.

At the end of the year, Denkova and Staviski moved to the second place in the world standing list of the International Skating Union (ISU). The Bulgarians received 4070 points to place just behind Olympic champions Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov.

Denkova and Staviski won silver at the world championship in Dortmund in 2004 and bronze in the 2003 world championship in Washington.

Last year's Sports Person of the Year, chess grand master Veselin Topalov lost his world title after a dramatic defeat in Elista by Vladimir Kramnik.  The unification of the FIDE World Title (held by Topalov) and the Classical Chess World Title (held by Kramnik) was fervently awaited by the chess community. On April 16 2006, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced that a reunification match between Kramnik and Topalov would be held in September-October 2006. Kramnik defeated Topalov to become the first undisputed champion in 13 years.

In May, Topalov defended his M-Tel Masters title in the 2006 tournament, coming first with 6.5 ahead of Gata Kamsky (whom he beat 2-0) with 6. Topalov started the tournament somewhat hesitantly to later record four consecutive wins and clinch the title.

Soon after losing the world title, Topalov participated in the Essent Chess Tournament. He finished third of four players with only 2.5 points of six games and a 2645 performance. He lost both games against Judit Polgar.

Vanya Stambolova, who competes in the 400 metres hurdles and the 400 metres, won silver in the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships, and won gold at the 2006 European Championship. A few days before the official ceremony Athlete of the Year Vanya Stambolova was named Best Athlete in the Balkans by Bulgarian news agency BTA.

In August 2006, Tezdjan Naimova won two titles in the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Beijing, in the 100 metres (11.28 seconds) and 200 metres (22.99, a personal best), thus completely dominating the sprints.

Though Venelina Veneva didn't make it through to the top 10 athletes, she won bronze at the World Indoor Championships, as well as placing fourth at the outdoor World Championships.

Great successes were scored by the Bulgarian wrestling team, both men and women. Number three and four in the Athlete of the Year stakes, Radoslav Velikov and Stanka Zlateva, took several titles in 2006; she is a world and European champion in the under 72kg category, while he is world champion in catch-as-catch-can in category up to 55kg.

Although football is one of the most popular sports in Bulgaria, no footballer made it into the top 10. Instead, journalists and editors praised the national volleyball team which took bronze at the world championship in Japan in December. Volleyball captain Plamen Konstantinov and the young talanted striker Matey Kaziski also made it through to the top 10 athletes of the year.

Bulgarian football fans chose national striker Dimitar Berbatov as the best player of the year but journalists and specialists crowned Martin Petrov as their choice. The main reason for the title was his major three goals for the national team, two against Romania (2:2) and one against Holland (1:1) during the European qualifying group games.