Georgia receives European Olympic flag as host country of 2025 European Winter Youth Olympic Festival

Leri Khabelov, the Head of the Georgian National Olympic Committee, said it was a “special day” for Georgian sport, as the country was given a “great responsibility [to host the festival]. Photo via Georgian National Olympic Committee/Facebook

Agenda.ge, 29 Jan 2023 - 16:12, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgia received the European Olympic Committees’ flag on Saturday as the host country of the 2025 European Winter Youth Olympic Festival, to be held in the country’s Bakuriani winter resort, the Georgian National Olympic Committee announced.

EOC flag handover. Photo via Georgian National Olympic Committee/Facebook

At the closing ceremony of the 2023 European Winter Youth Olympic Festival in Italy, in which young athletes from 47 countries participated in 13 different sports, including eight athletes from Georgia, the President of EOC Spyros Capralos handed over the EOC flag to the Mayor of Borjomi Municipality Otar Arbolishvili. 

At the ceremony, Georgian figure skater Konstantine Supatashvili, a winner of a silver medal at the tournament, carried the flag of Georgia. Photo via Georgian National Olympic Committee/Facebook

Leri Khabelov, the Head of the Georgian National Olympic Committee, said it was a “special day” for Georgian sport, as the country was given a “great responsibility [to host the festival]. Working on organisational and infrastructural projects has continued in order to meet the European festival “fully prepared”, he noted, expressing hope that with the support of the Georgian Government, the Sports Ministry and Borjomi Municipality, as well as in cooperation with relevant sports federations, the country would “properly” host the festival.

The 49th Executive Committee of the EOC General Assembly awarded the host status to the Georgian ski resort of Bakuriani in November 2022, after evaluating potential locations for the competition and all the necessary infrastructure, including ski lifts.