During the period 1953-1967 he was coach of both the “Akademik Sofia” basketball team and the Bulgarian National team, winning 4 Bulgarian Champions titles, while with the Female Bulgarian National basketball team he won 1 European Championship (1958), 2 second places: at the World Championship in Moscow (1959) and at the European Championship in Sofia (1960), as well as gold medals at the Universiade Games (1961). In the same year he was awarded with merit the title “Coach of the Year” by the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) , and was conferred the title “Honored Basketball Coach”.

Since 1967 he has been Chief Assistant of basketball at the National Sport Academy, and was chosen in 1970 as Associate Professor. From 1973 to 1982 Prof. Zhelyaskov was in charge of directing the department of “Scientific Bases of Sport training” while being Dean of the “After-Graduate Qualification”, now known as Masters Degree, at the NSA during the period 1976-1979. In 1978 he attained the doctoral degree with the subject “Methodological Bases of Optimization of Sports Preparation of Elite Athletes”. Since 1981 he is a Professor of “Theory and Methodologies of Sport Training” at the National Sport Academy.

In the period stemming from 1964 up until the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, he was in charge of the scientific and methodological counseling, guidance and supervision of the Bulgarian Olympic teams in his capacity as Senior Coach (1964, 1972 and 1996). In the mean time he was also Director of the Institute for Applied Research of Sofia, as well as Deputy –Chairman of the Bulgarian Sports Committee (1981-1992) and Vice Minister of Sports from 1995 to 1997.

From 1983 he was member of the “Philosophical, Pedagogical and Sociological Sciences” Commission at the Superior Attestation Committee, for two mandates.

Prof. Zhelyazkov’s research and pedagogic activities are reflected in more than 200 publications, among which 26 monographs, text-books, work papers and articles. Of these more than 200 publications, 40 of them are translated in foreign languages, including 5 monographs of key importance: “Bases of training of Sports”, Barcelona, 2001; “Training and Adaptation in Sport”, Istanbul, 2001; “Condition Training of Elite Athletes”, Belgrade, 2004; “Theory and Methodology of Training in Sport”, Calle (Colombia), 2006; “Endurance in Contemporary Sport”, Calle (Colombia), 2008. These works deal with theoretical, methodological and applicable problems of sport-training, the use of mathematical and statistical methods for the control and optimization of the training process of elite athletes.

Prof. Tzvetan Zhelyazkov has represented Bulgaria in numerous World Scientific Congresses on “Physical Education and Sport” under the aegis of UNESCO, such as: Tbilisi (1980), Eugene (1984), Colorado Springs (1987), Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1991), Dubrovnik (1997), Opatija (2000, 2005), Moscow (1973, 2003, 2008); as well as in many other symposiums during which he has presented over 50 reports.

Since 1983 he is a member of the “Research Committee” under CIEPS (UNECO). He is also a member of the International Association “Sport Kinetics”, as well as member of the Board of Editors of the magazines “Kineziologija” (Zagreb) and “Facta Universitatis” (Nish). Besides being a guest lecturer at the “Olympic Sport Academy” in Mexico, Prof. Zhelyazkov delivers lectures also at the Kinesiology Faculty of the “Zagreb University”, the “Sport Academy of Belgrade”, and at many qualification courses for specialists in numerous international seminars.

Due to his achievements and contributions to society, Prof. Zhelyazkov has received numerous awards, nominations and titles, such as: “Honorable Symbol of Sofia – 1st Degree” (1958), “Gold Medal of Labor” (1972 and 1988), “Kiril and Methodii – 2nd Degree” (1980), “Kiril and Metodii” - 1st degree (2011), “1300 Years of Bulgaria – Jubilee Medal” (1981), “Gold Medal for Special Merits – 1st Degree” and the recognition title “Honored Figure” (both in 1983). In 2004, Prof. Zhelyazkov was awared “Man of the Year” (2004) – by the American Biographical Institute. In 2009 he received the academic title “Meritorius Professor” from the Faculty of Kinesiology of the University of Zagreb.

Currently Prof. Zhelyazkov lectures “Theory and Methodology of Sports training” at the National Sports Academy “V. Levski” – Sofia (Bulgaria) to students, masters and doctorates.

List of References

Scientific Publications, Articles, Reports – More than 200 scientific works, including 26 monographs, textbooks, etc. 40 of which are translated in different languages; in addition to these works, 58 Scientific Reports closely related with international symposiums.

Most important works

“Bases of Physical Preparation of Sport Games”, 1966. Monograph. Med. Sofia.

“Basketball – Development of the Game and the Problem for the Athletism”, 1969. Monograph. Med. Sofia.

“Methodological Bases of Management and Optimization Sports Training for Highly Qualified Athletes”, 1978. Doctorate Dissertation. Sofia.

“Training and Adaptation in Sport”, 2001. The document company – Xerox. Monograph, Istanbul.

“Bases del Entrenamiento Deportivo”, 2001. Editorial Paidotribo. Monograph, Barcelona.

“Kondicioni Trening Vrhunskih Sportista”, 2004. Sportska Akademija. Monograph, Belgrade.

“Teoria y Metodologia del Entrenamiento Deportivo”, 2006. Escuela Nacional del Deporte. Monograph, Cali (Colombia).

“La Resistencia en el Deporte Contemporaneo – Aspectos Cientificos y de la Aplicacion”, 2008. Coldeportes Nacional. Monograph, Cali (Colombia).

“Theory and Methodology of Sports Training”, 1981. Textbook for the National Sport Academy, Sofia.

“Theory and Methodology of Sports Training”, 1986. Textbook for the National Sport Academy, Sofia.

“Bases of Sports Training”, 1998. Textbook for the National Sport Academy, Sofia.

“Bases of Sports Training”, 2002. Textbook for the National Sport Academy, Sofia.

“Bases of Sports Training”, 2006. Textbook for the National Sport Academy, Sofia.

“About the Essence Fitness”, 1997. Theory and Practice of Physical Education N.7, Moscow.

“About Some Constantly Operative Factors of Sports Achievement”, 1998. Theory and Practice of Physical Education N.1, Moscow.

“Sports Achievement as a Biosocial Phenomenon”, 2009. Theory and Practice of Physical Education N.9, Moscow.

“Criteria of Top Form Highly Qualified Athletes”, 1998. Kineziologia N.2, Zagreb.

“Periodization of Sports Training with Elite Athletes”, 1999. Kineziology for 21st Century – proceeding book, Zagreb.

“Factors of Competitive Effectiveness with Top Level Basketball Teams”, 2002. Kinesiology new perspectives, Proceedings book, Zagreb.

“Teorija I Metodika Treninga Brzine”, 2003. Kondicijski trening. Br. 2, V.1, Zagreb

“Osnove Fizicke Pripreme Vrhunskih Sportasa (Teorija, Metodika i Praksa)”, 2003. Zbornik radova Kinez. Fakultet, Zagreb.

“Teorija i Metodika treninga Izdrzlivosti”, 2003. Zbornik radova Kinez. Fakultet, Zagreb.

“Methodological and Applicable Aspects of the Conditional Training of Elite Sportsmen”, 2005. Football Proceedings book. Faculty of Kinesiology, Zagreb.