Olympic festival Tbilisi 2015 opens today

Today is a big day in Georgia. The country is hosting the opening ceremony of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) 2015, one of the most prestigious sporting events in the country’s history.

The official ceremony will begin at 8:15pm at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Vake, Tbilisi and it will include a major show.

Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, President of the European Olympic Committee (EOC) Patrick Hickey and EYOF Tbilisi 2015 Chairman Aleksi Akhvlediani will all make speeches during the official opening ceremony.

EOC President Patrick Hickey inspects Tbilisi 2015 sports venues. Photo by Tbilisi 2015 press service.   

Georgians and guests to the county will have an opportunity to see a spectacular show this evening, in which more than 1,500 people will take part in the opening ceremony.

Access to the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium will be open until 7pm. After this, movement will be restricted in the nearby streets.

The international competition, which will run from July 27 to August 1 will cover nine types of sporting events and involve more than 4,000 athletes from 49 countries.

Attendance will be free for spectators.