New GEONOC Office on Machabeli Street
20 September 2011
Georgian National Olympic Committee has moved to the Machabeli Street in Sololaki, the Old Town district. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Lado Vardzelashvili, outstanding figures of Georgian sport, Olympic champions, members of State Administration, the Prince of Monaco and President of Monaco's Olympic Committee Albert !!, Secretary General of European Olympic Committees Raphaele Pagnozi, Chief of Administration of EOC Rosana Silfet, and President of International Judo Federation Marius Vizer. After surveying the new office, the guests moved to the conference hall.
President of Georgian National Olympic Committee Gia Natsvlishvili addressed the guests: ‘This is a landmark day. We are inaugurating a new building and we hope that we will be celebrating new victories here. Four years ago nobody could anticipate this event. The scheduled 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival in Tbilisi greatly contributed to this occasion. We would like to express our gratitude to Prince Albert II and Raphaele Pangiozi for their support. And this achievement would have been unimaginable without the assistance of Mr. Gigi Ugulava and the Administration of our country. President Mikheil Saakashvili and Minister Lado Vardzelashvili deserve our special gratitude. We also thank all those people who have contributed to this event. According to the statistical data, considering its population of 4 million, Georgia has good enough results at Olympic Games. We can say that Georgia is a country of sporting mentality'.
First Georgian Olympic Champions - Mzia Jugeli and Rafiel Chimishkian along with the family members of deceased Olympic Champion Davit Tsimakuridze were invited to the presentation. Olympic Orders were handed to all three parties.
Foreign guests wished success to Georgian athletes. Many kind words were said in memory of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who perished in Vancouver.
‘I congratulate all athletes with the inauguration of the new office of Olympic Committee. I believe it is a wonderful place for coming together. It is important that the building was renovated perfectly well. However, still a lot of things should be done. We shall do our best to organize the 2015 Youth Festival at the highest level. Meanwhile, I wish success to our athletes at the 2012 London Olympic Games', Gigi Ugulava said.
In their speeches the Prince of Monaco and the Secretary General of EOC congratulated with the inauguration of the new GEONOC office, furnished according to the modern standards, and expressed regret in connection with Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, who had perished in Vancouver.
In the end of the presentation the distinguished guests presented the hosts with special souvenirs and wished success to Georgian sport and Olympic movement.