About us

History of IMI-SPORTS

IMI-SPORTS launched in the spring of 2005 with the opening of a paintball field in the town of Bansko. At the time, founder Ivo Ikonomov was living in Vienna, where he enjoyed practicing his favorite sport alongside some of Austria's best players. Some of these players represented MAXS (now GI)—Europe's most prestigious paintball brand—while others moved between teams to join the top squad of the moment, Vienna United. The rapid growth of paintball in Europe stood in stark contrast to the situation in Bulgaria. This disparity sparked the 2004 idea to create "Fightclub Paintball Sports Promotions"—an organization dedicated to promoting competitive paintball in Bulgaria. Its initial members included Ivo and Mariyan Ikonomov (based in Austria), Hristo Strakov (Switzerland), and Joro Matsurev—Bulgarians training in countries where paintball was already well-established.

In 2006, IMI-SPORTS founded and began organizing the Play Paintball Series (PPS)—the country's first professional paintball tournaments held under the rules of the internationally recognized Millennium Series. Early that same year, IMI-SPORTS became the Bulgarian representative for MAXS (GI) and for Bauer Kompressoren, the world's leading manufacturer of paintball compressors. By 2007, the company had also become a representative for JT Europe and a distributor for brands such as DYE, Empire, Tippmann, and BT.

Since 2008, IMI Sports has served as the official national representative for the Australian company MacDev, Planet Eclipse (the top choice among professionals), and Tomahawk—Europe’s most renowned manufacturer of paintball the paintballs themselves. A vast range of paintball products—tested and approved by us and our associates—is now available to Bulgarian enthusiasts, who also benefit from professional advice, maintenance services, and the chance to earn bonuses and prizes at future tournaments.

We are proud that IMI Sports has established itself over the years as the organizer of the country’s only competitive paintball tournaments—the PPS series. With a track record of 17 international competitions featuring participants from Norway, Belgium, Austria, Greece, Romania, and Russia, the PPS is now recognized across Europe as the Bulgarian paintball championship.IMI Sports specializes in organizing large-scale corporate events for over 100 players. We utilize state-of-the-art paintball gear, portable inflatable fields, and safety equipment. Our team consists of professional paintball players and organizers of the Bulgarian Paintball League—with experience in over 17 national and international tournaments—as well as certified European referees with extensive international experience. We offer optimal pricing that reflects the high quality of our products.