2018-11-09
"Paralympic movement is developing in Georgia with greater extent and magnitude. We nowadays have 15 types of parasports in the country, while almost 300 Paralympians are training and we have champions, who give special pride and joy to us" stated Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia when addressing the audience at the launch of the World Cup Tournament in Fencing among Wheelchair Users.
Head of Government of Georgia spoke about the success of judoist Zviad Gogochuri and fencer Irma Khetsuriani and noted that every Georgian is proud of them, adding that they and other successful sportsmen are true heroes of our homeland.
In the opinion of the Prime Minister of Georgia, it is gratifying that Paralympic movement is developing in many countries of the world and number of people engaged in parasports is increasing.
"It is very important for our Government to support this effort. That is why such a prestigious tournament is held in Georgia and we are particularly proud of it. I wish to note with great pleasure that results attained by Georgia towards this end have been conditioned by the fact that our authorities have been declaring Paralympic movement as a priority since 2012. In recent years, we were gradually increasing the funding and will continue doing so in the future. Throughout this period a sports complex has been built and refurbished in Tbilisi. It is fully adapted and tailored to the needs of people with disabilities. The referred sports centre is equipped with relevant machines, pool, gyms for training and physical exercise. It is particularly overwhelming that such sports centres are unprecedented for the entire region and are positioned in Tbilisi. Nevertheless, it is not sufficient and other large cities will see similar sports infrastructure coming in future by all means" added the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Head of Government of Georgia congratulated every sportsmen with the engagement in such a prestigious tournament and wished them great success.
Tbilisi is hosting the World Cup Tournament in Fencing among Wheelchair Users in the period of November 8-11, 2018. It involves almost 500 sportsmen from over 40 countries. Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee is visiting Tbilisi to attend the World Cup.
Prime Minister's Press Office