Kindle Edition Facebook page Amazon Create Space/Print Category:  Sports/Recreation Publisher: Self ISBN-10:  B00KMFP2VK Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 131 Copyright: 27.05.2014 Price: $3.99 (eBook) The story is about Olympic weightlifting champ, sentenced for cocaine traffic in Brazil prison. The controversial life of legendary Bulgarian weightlifter Galabin Boevski was unveiled in a book. The world premiere of "The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski's secret story" took place today. The author, Bulgarian sports journalist Ognian Georgiev, enters into the darkest corners of the Olympic Games, the brutal politics among national and international sports officials. The events of the book are moving from Brazilian prison, where Boevski was send to serve his sentence for cocaine traffic, to world weightlifting stages. Galabin managed to survive in Communistic times, Underworld mobs surrounding and smashing hunger in Bulgaria during 90-s. The weightlifter was banned twice for doping. Both times the circumstances are very unclear. Boevski entered into politics and business, but the consequences were more than worst. Galabin was Olympic, World and European champion. He broke several times the world records and was selected for the Best athlete in Bulgaria. How a person like him finds himself behind the bars far away from his home? The answer is in the book "The white prisoner: Galabin Boevski's secret story" --------------------------------------------------------------------- Galabin Boevski is a complicated figure and weightlifting is a complex sport, filled with intrigue and drama. On the stage, the bar does not lie. You either lift it or not. Behind the scenes, however, as  The White Prisoner: Galabin Boevski's Secret Story makes plain, it can be an enormous struggle not just to become Olympic champion but to stay on top. Alan Abrahamson, bestselling author ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I read the entire volume in two days. I could not put it down. The plot lines leading up to what would hopefully reveal the final athletic and legal outcomes of Boevski were compelling. Mr. Georgiev has done a master job of story telling. One that will provide a much need insight into the psyches, personalities and foibles of star weightlifters and their coaches.  Bob Takano, coach and author of Olympic weightlifting ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's quite a fascinating story, with quite a bit of drama, as well as elements of tragedy. I found it to be a very gripping and compelling read. Daniel Rosen, author of Dope: A History of Performance Enhancement in Sports from the Nineteenth Century to Today ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The White Prisoner provides a rare glimpse into the world of Bulgarian weightlifting—chronicling the development of Olympic gold medalist, world champion and world record holder Galabin Boevski, and how things went awry: first in weightlifting and then in Brazil.  If you are a weightlifting fan, this is a must-read book, and if you want to be introduced to a gritty world and a universal sport you might never have known existed, you will also want to dive into The White Prisoner. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. , Founder & President, IronMind Enterprises, Inc.   www.facebook.com/galabin.boevsky www.twitter.com/galabinboevski www.ogigeorgiev.wordpress.com

What really happened in Bulgaria
I read this book in one sitting. Well, I got up to use the bathroom a couple of times but I couldn't put it down. I am friends with a former Jr champion from Bulgaria named Valentin Dinov. He was coached by Galabin's uncle (I have a short interview with him on my youtube page powmongo). I heard many stories about Galabin and his family. I was already a longtime fan of his lifting, but I learned he was a down to earth guy who would do anything to support his family,even if it meant putting his body through the Bulgarian system of training. I was shocked to learn he was capable of beating Naim in 1996. I highly recommend this book for the following reasons.
1. The author tells the story from Galabin's point of view. Innocent or not, many lifters have known of various shady dealings of Bulgarian officials and coaches.
2. Many follow "Bulgarian" training systems seeing Bulgarian lifters success. Now they will learn of the injuries and the physical tole it took on lifters. I have training footage of Georgie Gardev training in the training hall a couple of days before the 1998 European championships and he is in such pain he breaks down and starts crying.
3. Even after the heydays of the Bulgarian success under communism, when Abadjiev returns in the late 1990's he still lives up to his nickname "The Butcher."

Stephen Powell

`Mother, father, do not be ashamed of me, I have done nothing. You know me best of all!'
Author/sports journalist Ognian Georgiev is the sports editor at the "Bulgaria Today" daily newspaper. He covered the Summer Olympics in Beijing 2008 and in London 2012. His specialty is sports politics, investigations and coverage of Olympic sports events, and it is from that vantage that he uncovers this true story of Bulgarian Galabin Boevski, the internationally acclaimed weightlifter and Olympic champion who was arrested on drug smuggling charges and imprisoned in Brazil. Born in 1974 in Knezha, Bulgaria, he became both World Champion in the lightweight class 1999 and Olympic Champion in 2000. He became world champion for the second time in 2001, and European champion in 2002 and in 2003. He was suspended in 2004 for eight years after failing drug tests. Boevski spent time in a Brazilian prison after being sentenced to nine years for alleged cocaine trafficking. He was arrested on 27 October 2011 while trying to board a plane in São Paulo, Brazil, to Europe with 9 kilos of cocaine. In October 2012, the appellate court of Brazil decided against reducing his sentence. On 23 October 2013, he returned to Bulgaria. Asked how, he did not comment. The Bulgarian government stated that the release was a unilateral act by Brazil and they do not know of any details.

Georgiev unravels this history with finesse, including all aspects of this important sports figure's life and in doing so he touches on many insights in the field of sports and of government corruption. His writing makes you feel as if you are present in the room with the events. It is a remarkable piece of reportage as well as fine writing. Grady Harp, June 14.

secret story
Well worth 5 stars.great piece of Bulgarian weightlifting history.taking you behind the scenes of the sport,giving the reader an insight of the doping and hypocrisy and corruption that went on.
Ray Nobile