FIS, Georgian Gov’t sign deal for all-year training bases in Svaneti
FIS has highlighted the work done by the Georgian Government for infrastructure development in winter resorts and the successful hosting of the Championships in Bakuriani, which involved about 700 athletes from 42 countries competing in 30 categories. Photo: Ministry of Economy
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Training and educational bases operating in all four seasons will be launched in north-west Georgia’s mountainous Svaneti region after the country’s Mountain Trails Agency and the International Ski and Snowboard Federation signed a deal for the project on Thursday.
The agreement comes as Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili and Michel Vion, the Secretary General of FIS, met to discuss cooperation between the Government and the governing body, with the initial phase to involve technical and financial assessments of the initiative.
A visiting delegation from the Federation travelled to Svaneti to inspect necessary facilities and locations for the prospective bases.
Deputy Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili said Svaneti would gain more international recognition and attract both domestic and foreign tourists as well as investors with the project, to help grow domestic tourism.
She also pointed out the Gudauri and Bakuriani ski resorts would begin hosting winter tournaments annually at the end of this year - a development she called a “fantastic chance” for the growth and promotion of mountain resorts.
The comments come after the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Vion expressed mutual interest in establishing training bases in Svaneti and provide teams with training conditions for FIS competitions in both ski and freestyle. The meeting came during the Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships that ran in Bakuriani between February 19-March 5.
FIS has highlighted the work done by the Georgian Government for infrastructure development in winter resorts and the successful hosting of the Championships in Bakuriani, which involved about 700 athletes from 42 countries competing in 30 categories.
The Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships closed in Georgia’s ski resort of Bakuriani on Saturday with Tess Ledeux of France and the Troy Podmilsak of the United States earning the final gold medals in the big air showcase.
Georgian Government’s efforts in the country’s hosting of the ongoing Freestyle Ski, Snowboards and Freeski World Championships in Bakuriani have been recognised by Dean Gosper, a member of the Council of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, who said the tournament represented “one of the outstanding World Championships”.
Georgia deserves a “round of applause” for the level of its hosting of the ongoing Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Bakuriani, Michel Vion, the Secretary General of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, said in comments released by the country’s Mountain Trails Agency on Thursday.
Representatives of the International Ski Federation have described Georgia’s hosting of the ongoing FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Bakuriani as “impressive”.
Brad Jay, a professional sports commentator and announcer at Eurosport, on Thursday expressed his gratitude toward the Georgian Mountain Trails Agency for the “amazing job” done in the country’s winter resort town of Bakuriani, which has been hosting the Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships.
About 40 representatives of ski resorts from seven countries on Wednesday reviewed the infrastructure in the Georgian ski resort of Bakuriani during the ongoing Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in the location, the Georgian Economy Ministry said.
Michel Vion, the Secretary General of the International Ski Federation, on Tuesday said he was expecting to see a “high-level hosting” of the upcoming Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Georgia’s winter resort of Bakuriani.
Georgia’s Tetnuldi ski resort in northwestern Svaneti region will host the Freeride World Tour in 2024 for the first time in the history of the country, alongside Canada, Andorra, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.
Irakli Burchuladze, the Director of the Mountain Trails Agency, on Saturday said that hosting the Freeride World Tour in 2024 in Georgia’s Tetnuldi ski resort in northwestern Svaneti region “is a victory for the country”, stressing Georgia would “once again be marked” on the world sports map in a new direction.