New Sports Palace for Tbilisi 2015

An advanced new Sports Palace has opened in Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, which will host young athletes at the forthcoming European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), also known as “Tbilisi 2015.”

Construction work on the new sports complex started in January 2015, meaning that the facility was built in just six months.

During the EYOF event the new Sports Palace will host the handball tournament.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Tariel Khechikashvili, cut a ribbon as a sign of the official opening of the new Sports Palace, located in Saburtalo.

"This [the EYOF] is the biggest sporting event that has ever been held in Georgia" said Garibashvili. "Today, we opened a new Sports Palace specifically for this festival. It is an amazing building, equipped with all necessary infrastructure."

The new handball venue has a total capacity of 3,000 seats. It is equipped with two competition courts that are suitable for hosting several kinds of sports, such as handball, volleyball, basketball, wrestling and more.

PM Garibashvili announced that after the Olympic festival this and other infrastructure built for the “Tbilisi 2015” will remain under the ownership of the state and will be a "gift from the government to athletes".

After EYOF, the new Sports Palace complex is expected to host top international tournaments in sports with 24 local and international sporting tournaments already agreed on.

Nino Melikishvili