Georgia Hosts CoE Sports Ministerial
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, October 17
Georgian capital Tbilisi is hosting the15th Council of Europe (CoE) Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport which takes place on October 15-17.
The event was opened by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze, who noted that it is very important for Georgia to host such a high-rank event.
“Georgia is the country of civilization, cultural diversity and heritage, which at the same time is well known for its ancient sports traditions,” the PM stated.
According to him, Georgia is an integral part of Europe in terms of geographical, political and cultural values.
“The Council of Europe is our supporter on the path of European integration. The cooperation between the Council of Europe and Georgia has deepened since 1999 till today and the field of sports has an important part in this cooperation,” he added.
Moreover, Bakhtadze noted it is good that state agencies, international organizations, transnational corporations or NGOs increase their contribution to the sports sphere and among them is Georgia.
“Directly or indirectly, the field of sports is getting closer to the public consciousness and everyday life. It is gaining universal social, economic, educational and cultural importance. The results of a number of researches show that sports has become a powerful instrument of the European integration process,” he added.
Mikheil Batiashvili, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia considers that holding the Council of Europe's Sports Ministerial in Georgia is a major step forward because it deepens Georgia-EU co-operation.
In the opinion of the Minister, racism, discrimination, doping, match-fixing and corruption is on the agenda of the world sports problems and the Ministerial Minister fully responds to the challenges.
Batiashvili said he is convinced that the active involvement of honorable guests, delegates and experts will bring tangible results in the sports field.
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, CoE member states' senior officials responsible for sports (ministers, deputy ministers, and department heads) and the heads of international sports and non-governmental organizations also participate in the conference.
