European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz praised the plans for the development of athletics in Georgia on a recent official visit to the country.
President Wirz led a delegation that included European Athletics Vice President Karel Pilný and the Presidents of the Bulgarian, Estonian, Belarussian, Latvian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Member Federations.
The delegation met with the Mayor of Tblisi Giorgi Ugulava, Georgia NOC President Leri Khabelov, NOC Secretary General Emzar Zenaishvili and Athletic Federation of Georgia President Alex Akhvlediani.
President Wirz was invited to lay the first stone in the construction of a new 4,000-seater multi-purpose stadium with athletics track, and adjacent warm-up facilities, to be completed by 2015.
The delegation also visited an impressive refurbished indoor athletics arena.
President Wirz said, “I am happy to see for myself that with the development of the new sporting complex with an athletics stadium and warm-up facilities, and with the new indoor athletics arena, the standards for our sport in Georgia have risen to a new level. I wish to congratulate all of those involved in creating this new monument to sport in Georgia that gives the sense that athletics is born anew in the country.”
Upcoming athletics competitions in Georgia include the 2014 European Athletics Team Championships Third League in June.
The European Youth Olympic Festival will also be held in Tblisi in 2015.