Asen Tsankov ( bg, Асен Цанков, 3 January 1912 – 1994) was a four-time

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

champion and one of the first Bulgarian Olympians, who participated at the Winter Olympics. He represented Bulgaria at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

held in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

city

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...

. Tsankov participated in the alpine combined, where he was 53rd after the downhill and 45th after the first run of the slalom and did not qualify for the second run. Tsankov was Bulgarian tennis champion in 1939, 1940, 1941 and 1942. After the Olympics Tsankov began his studies at the Bulgarian State Conservatoire in the chordophone class. He was expelled from the rector (his brother Tsanko Tsankov) for undermining the prestige of the Conservatoire after Asen Tsankov took part at a tennis tournament in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

. Afterwards Tsankov started law studies. His right to work as a lawyer was withdrawn and he earned his living by playing music at pubs and celebrations. After the internment of his family in

Ruse Ruse may refer to: Places *Ruse, Bulgaria, a major city of Bulgaria **Ruse Municipality ** Ruse Province ** 19th MMC – Ruse, a constituency *Ruše, a town and municipality in north-eastern Slovenia * Ruše, Žalec, a small settlement in east-ce ...

he was entrusted with the revival of the symphonic orchestra and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in town. He invited conductors Konstantin Iliev and

Dobrin Petkov Dobrin Petkov ( bg, Добрин Петков)(24 August 1923 – 10 February 1987) was a Bulgarian conductor. Life and career Born in Dresden, Germany, Petkov was the son of a famous violin pedagogue, whose students were leading musicians ...

, as well as young director Leon Daniel. In 1956, he was allowed to live in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

again. Tsankov died in 1994.

Family

Tsankov's son Petar Tsankov is one of the creators of Bulgarian band

Shturcite Shturcite ( bg, Щурците ; English "The Crickets"), sometimes romanized as Shturtsite, was a Bulgarian rock group. They were one of the most successful bands in Bulgaria during the 1970s and 1980s and still have many fans. The band broke ...

("Bulgaria's answer to

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

"). Tsankov's uncle was Aleksandar Tsankov – Bulgarian Prime minister from 1923 to 1926.

References

1912 births 1994 deaths Bulgarian male tennis players Bulgarian male alpine skiers Olympic alpine skiers for Bulgaria Alpine skiers at the 1936 Winter Olympics Place of birth missing 20th-century Bulgarian people {{Bulgaria-alpine-skiing-bio-stub