DipSki2018: Georgian Gov’t Hosts Diplomats on Georgia’s Slopes
On the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the Diplomatic Ski Competition 'DipSki2018' was held in Gudauri on February 10, 2018, co-organized by the Mountain Resorts Development Agency and the Permanent Coordinator of the United Nations Office in Georgia.
The tournament was held for the second time and aimed at promoting Georgian mountain ski resorts. The 'DipSki2018' competition was attended by representatives of the accredited diplomatic corps, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet of Ministers.
“Over the past year, the government has taken significant steps towards improving infrastructure and the development of the winter tourism sector,” said Georgian Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikheil Janelidze at the opening ceremony of DipSki 2018 diplomatic skiing tournament. “The flow of visitors to Georgia's winter resorts is increasing, as we offer them world-class recreational and entertainment resources. Winter resorts are a sustainable development component of Georgia that ensures employment opportunities and additional revenues for each Georgian family. The development of winter resorts will have a positive impact on many sectors of tourism, such as agriculture, transport, service and communication.”
The government is to work out a step-by-step plan, the Minister went on. “We believe that this is a perfect plan, seeing rapid and efficient implementation of winter resort infrastructure. We face another important challenge, too: Georgia applied to host the 2023 skiing and snowboarding Fristal World Championship. We look forward to a positive decision in this direction, and the enormous stimulus it would be to improving infrastructure to the right level. In addition, this would help increase awareness of our country and engage youth in sporting activities.”
At the DipSki 2018 opening ceremony, UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative and UNFPA Representative in Georgia, Niels Scott, adressed the participants, congratulating the organizers before going on to talk about the resort and competition.
“I stand here looking across this fantastic landscape and the green that Georgia has, and I appreciate the country’s fantastic assets and number of resorts. Today we will not only enjoy the skiing but also the hospitality!”
Within the frames of DipSki2018, the participants of the tournament visited the Adventure Tourism School, which is located at the highest point in Europe at an altitude of 2800m above sea level. The school offers professional training in the field of adventure tourism and other high-risk activities and creates a more secure environment in this direction.
In parallel to the skiing competition, the event participants took part in a simulation ‘avalanche rescue’ scenario set up by the Adventure School.
The winners of the ski tournament were awarded with specially created trophies for the event, and the participants of the simulation of the adventure school were awarded with certificates.
Foreign diplomat Barbara Koehler, the Swiss ambassador to Georgia and Peter Danis, head of the EU Delegation to Georgia, took the first place in the nomination of the among diplomat women and men. The winners from other official agencies were Ekaterine Alania (Georgian National Tourism Administration) and Vasil Kvantaliani (Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Diplomatic ski competition - 'Dipski' is the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, which was held the last year and became a tradition. Partners of 'DipSki2018' are the Mountain Resorts Development Agency and the United Nations Permanent Coordinator's Office.
Sofo Javakhishvili