George Ramishvili - The Man Behind Georgia's Ski World Cup
On 19 February 2023, the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championship will begin in Georgia. This is the first time that Georgia has hosted any sporting world cup, and is a big moment for the country.
Across 18 days, over 700 athletes from 42 teams will compete in the tournament. The
championship will take place in Georgian ski resort Bakuriaini, across two mountains, Didveli and Kokhta, which lie at the heart of the South Caucus range. Bakuriani was also one of the country’s first ever ski resorts in 1932, acting as a training hub for top athletes back in the days of the USSR.
But how did the tournament end up in Georgia? The answer to that is George Ramishvili. Mr Ramishvili is Chairman of the Silk Road Group, and he was instrumental in starting Georgia’s ski industry. Indeed, Silknet - a Silk Road Group company - has sponsored the Georgian Ski Foundation since its foundation.
Mr Ramishvili saw the potential of Georgia's peaks, which dwarf that of their Western counterparts, with some reaching over 5,000m - higher than Mt Blanc!
As a former President of the Georgian Ski Federation, and a keen skier himself (in high school he was a member of the Georgian sking youth cadre). He led the creation of ski resorts in Georgia and established competitive skiing in the country by establishing national championships for talented young skiers.
That, combined with making world class slopes for worls class skiers and creating the necessary infrastructure around the resorts, helped lay the groundwork for bigger and better sking competitions like we see today.
Mr Ramishvili's vision for skiing was also part of his wider vision for Georgia. Lying at the heart of the old Silk Road, Georgia has always been on a crossroads between East and West. But after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when many other business leaders only looked West, he looked East, seeking to build bridges and ties from all parts of Georgia to Western companies.
His company, Silk Road Group, began as a transportation company but has now diversified into real estate, hotels, telecommsand banking, partnering with Western brands like Radisson Blu, National Geographic and Euronews.
There is great growth potential in the Georgian ski markets, as it is perfectly situated to capitalise on the growing demand for skiing from Asian and Middle Eastern customers, and this tournament will help to showcase Georgia to all international audiences.
