Gudauri resort praised after hosting FIS Snowboard Cross Europa Cup

Freestyle sports organisers in Georgia's major winter resort Gudauri were praised by European professionals and athletes after hosting the International Ski Federation-sanctioned Snowboard Cross Europa Cup last weekend.

Over 60 snowboarders travelled to slopes of Kudebi at the resort to take part in the competition seen as an important step in Georgia's preparations to host the 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships.

See photo report of the Europa Cup competition in Gudauri by agenda.ge photographer Nino Alavidze.

The results impressed travelling contestants and FIS officials including federation delegate Klaus Waldner and prize-winners of the race.

Snow is good, the weather is wonderful, competition is very well organised - that's why everything went brilliant.

The participants like to ski here and all of them get a great pleasure from riding on these slopes," Waldner said in his remarks after the event.

Roman Aleksandrovsky, a rider from Ukraine, told reporters about his impressions of the "wonderful place with beautiful mountains and perfect slopes" in Gudauri.

Participating snowboarders praised the course set up for the competition on slopes of Kudebi. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.

Jakob Dusek, winner of the men's competition from Austria, said Gudauri was a "very nice place" he would like to come back to, with women's top finisher Hana Ihedioha adding she had "so much fun riding" on the "great course".

The track for the contest was set up in Gudauri by Thomas Guirlando, a French professional working on international-level venues for tournaments.

The Europa Cup event on Kudebi followed on the success of  the maiden FIS ski cross contest on Georgian resorts, held last season in Bakuriani, another major local resort.

In addition to Georgia's preparations to host the Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships, the Europa Cup date in Gudauri was also seen as significant for the country's aspirations to launch a bid for the Winter Olympic Games in 2030.