Tbilisi City Hall has held its annual awards ceremony honoring outstanding athletes from the capital, recognizing achievements across a wide range of sports disciplines. Organized by the City Hall’s Culture, Education, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, the event celebrated 231 Tbilisi-based athletes for their success at European and World Championships.
Award recipients received cash prizes and symbolic awards on behalf of the Tbilisi Mayor’s Office. The ceremony was attended by Mayor Kakha Kaladze and his deputy, Irakli Bendeliani, with Kaladze addressing athletes, officials and guests.
In his remarks, Kaladze emphasized the unifying power of sport and its importance to national pride, noting that recent years have brought historic results for Georgia. He pointed out that some of the awarded athletes achieved milestone successes for the country for the first time. As part of the ceremony, five women’s teams and one amputee football team were also honored, continuing a long-standing tradition of inclusive recognition.
The mayor mentioned that the development of sport remains a big priority for Tbilisi City Hall, supported through multiple municipal programs. He stressed the broader value of sport beyond professional competition, encouraging citizens to adopt healthy and active lifestyles. Kaladze also credited central government support and infrastructure investment for the strong results achieved in recent years, thanking Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for his backing of sports development.
Athletes were awarded in five main categories. Sabre fencer Sandro Bazadze was named Best Male Athlete of Tbilisi while judoka Eteri Liparteliani received the Best Female Athlete award. Giorgi Kaldani and Nino Tibilashvili were recognized as the top male and female parasport athletes, respectively. The ‘Tbilisi School League’ was selected as the Best Sports Project of the Year.
The Tbilisi Athletes Awards program has been held annually since 2018. Over this period, 931 athletes have been recognized by the municipality. The budget for the program in 2025 amounts to GEL 1,297,000.
