New rugby stadium for Tbilisi

One of the most popular sports in Georgia is getting another boost. A new rugby stadium will soon be built in Tbilisi.

Georgia’s Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs announced there were plans to build a third new rugby stadium in Georgia’s capital city.

The 30,000 capacity stadium will be located in Tbilisi’s Didi Digomi district.

Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Levan Kipiani said a French company had already started working on the project but the starting date of construction work had not been determined.

All costs related to construction of the new stadium will be covered by the Cartu Charity Foundation – a charity fund established and financed by Georgian tycoon and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.

Earlier this week the former Georgian leader was awarded the International Rugby Board (IRB) Development Award 2014 for his outstanding contribution to the development of rugby in Georgia and enabling it to become a formidable force in the international game.

Since 2008 the Cartu Charity Foundation has donated more than 100 million GEL to several rugby projects in Georgia, including building two rugby stadiums, state-of-the-art training facilities in cities and schools all over the country, partial funding of training and tournament costs for Georgia’s national teams and support of various development programs.

A video, posed by the IRB four days ago, stated that the Cartu Charity Foundation had covered the cost of the construction of 23 rugby training and performance facilities in Georgia, including the Shevardeni and Avchala stadiums in Tbilisi.