Georgian PM visits sports infrastructure in Kutaisi

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday visited sports facilities built and renovated in the country’s western hub city of Kutaisi, including the Academy of the Georgian Football Federation and the Olympic swimming pool.

The Government Administration said the Academy had two astroturf and two natural pitch fields, and was equipped with a lighting system and stands for two of them.

An administrative building has also been built on the territory of the Academy, with dressing rooms, a canteen, and rooms for conference, training and other purposes set up.

Under-14 and under-15 teams of the Imereti region Academy of the GFF will use the infrastructure, with the complex also being available for free use by local football schools, amateur and women's teams.

The land plot for the construction of the Academy was handed to the Federation from the National Property Agency of the Ministry of Economy, with the condition of arranging football infrastructure in the area, with the project involving funding from the GFF, FIFA's FORWARD programme and UEFA's HatTrick programme. 

The construction of the Academy started in late 2020, with up to ₾10 million ($3.8 million) spent on the construction.

As a part of his visit to Kutaisi, Garibashvili also inspected the Olympic swimming pool, built by the Municipal Development Fund of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.

The modern, Olympic-standard pool has lanes 50 metres long and 25 metres wide, has a capacity of 600 spectators along with a children's pool, training halls, dressing rooms for athletes and referees, spaces for food and sports equipment stores.

It has also been equipped with modern engineering networks, filtering and pumping stations, heating, cooling and fire systems. The infrastructure of the pool is also adapted for people with disabilities.