Another Important Step For Bakuriani 2023

Bakuriani, in southern Georgia, where the FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships 2023 will take place, is working hard to prepare their competitions and implement all the facilities and infrastructure necessary for the upcoming test-events.

The holiday resort of nearly 3,000 inhabitants is busy with preparations for the first ever World Cup in Georgia, the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup scheduled for 7th February on the Didveli slopes. Three chairlifts have been built last summer under the guidance of FIS experts who also selected the courses to be used for the competitions of the World Championships.

The Cross course is scheduled to be finished this autumn, ready for use this winter after the installation of a dozen new snow machines purchased by the Mountain Resort Development Company (MRDC) in charge of the development and the management of the main ski resorts in the Georgian Caucasus Ranges.

“Despite the difficult times, our government has been very active and supportive to help us accessing the resources and the solutions needed to successfully prepare the Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup event scheduled next winter at Didveli-Bakuriani,” Zurab Kostava, President of the Georgian Ski Federation (GSF).

“Our Prime Minister and his Deputy Ministers, in charge of economy and infrastructure, strongly helped us to obtain the budgets needed to acquire more snow making machines and build the new Cross race course based on the plans and proposal discussed last spring with the FIS staff and experts during a series of video conferences,” Kostava added. 

“Of course, there is still a lot to do and to prepare in the next weeks and months, but our group is confident about its capacity to put together the series of exciting events in the near future to perfectly promote international ski racing in our part of Europe.” 

An inspection by the FIS Cross Race Directors and other experts is scheduled for mid-September if travel is possible. 

FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis complimented GSF and the Georgian Authorities for their support and interest for the 2023 World Championships, saying “During the project review / inspection meeting of Bakuriani 2023 online some weeks ago, we were certainly impressed with the presentation, progress and especially the action plan reports received and level of discussions during the meetings,” Lewis said. “We are working with all possible efforts to prepare the upcoming season considering the current, potential and possible measures that may be in place around the world. You can count on our full support at FIS wherever possible to contribute and assist you achieve highly successful Bakuriani 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships.”

The World Championships at Bakuriani are part of an ambitious plan of the Georgian government to better promote winter sport tourism in the country by the tourism administration of Georgia. The national authorities already have strongly helped to improve equipment and the accommodation in its main ski resorts during the last six years, attracting nearly half a million foreign tourists in its leading ski areas.