Kobakhidze names developing mass and elite sport, valuing Georgian athletes as top priority

“Today we are opening a sports complex in Zugdidi, which means creating new opportunities for Zugdidi, for this region and, most importantly, for our future generations, for young people,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared whilst speaking at the opening ceremony of the multifunctional sports complex in Zugdidi.

Irakli Kobakhidze noted that Samegrelo has given Georgia and the world many legendary athletes, from Nona Gaprindashvili to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and the government must create worthy conditions for developing this enormous potential.

The Prime Minister spoke about the infrastructural projects the government is implementing comprehensively across the entire country.

“Samegrelo has given Georgia and the world many legendary athletes, from Nona Gaprindashvili to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The children of this region have made our country famous worldwide. Sport is a universal language through which the world knows us, and our champions are our country’s finest ambassadors. We must create worthy conditions for developing this enormous potential. Opening this new, multifunctional sports complex serves precisely this purpose.

In this contemporary, European-level facility, people of any age, professional athletes or amateurs, will be able to train, develop and achieve success. Large and small swimming pools that meet international water polo standards, fitness and strength training halls, all of this will encourage our young people to choose a healthy lifestyle, which is so important for our country. Sport must be accessible to everyone, and, significantly, this sports complex will be accessible to people with disabilities.

A basketball hall, padel court and tennis courts will also be built alongside the sports complex. We will begin implementing this project shortly. All these steps serve the development of sport in our country and represent another expression of our consistent policy.

Developing mass sport and elite sport, properly valuing our proud athletes, is one of our top priorities. This is precisely why we increased the sports budget, which is constantly growing, created a separate ministry that ensures sport development in the country, and actively focus on developing this type of infrastructure.

We have a unified programme under which multifunctional sports complexes must be created in every municipality. Our goal is to establish such multifunctional sports complexes in all 63 regional municipalities, promoting the development of both elite and grassroots sport across the country.

Sport development means not only sporting achievements but popularising a healthy lifestyle, healthier future generations, and all this will remain our priority in future,” the Prime Minister declared.

According to him, Georgia must become the new Croatia, a small country with the highest sporting achievements, and creating infrastructure like Zugdidi’s sports complex serves this goal.

“Particular achievements our country has in the sports sphere must be noted. Last year, Georgian athletes achieved a record-breaking total of 1,259 medals on the international stage, a record indicator. We are a talented nation when it comes to sports, and this region is particularly notable for its sporting talent and gifts. As such, it rightly deserves ongoing support. We must make Georgia the new Croatia. Georgia is a small country with great sporting achievements, and it must aspire to become a small nation renowned for its exceptional sporting achievements, including in team sports. Achieving this goal requires a clear long-term vision and dedicated investment. Creating this type of infrastructure naturally ensures achieving this goal,” Irakli Kobakhidze declared.