Season of Regional Basketball Development Program Concludes with Visits to Zugdidi and Mestia

The latest season of the National Basketball Federation of Georgia’s regional development program has concluded with visits to Zugdidi and Mestia. This program, carried out in collaboration with the FIBA Youth Development Fund, aims to supply basketball equipment to cities and villages across Georgia where basketball activities take place.

Dissatisfied with the inventory provided by FIBA alone, the Federation used program funds to produce additional modern basketball equipment. This included a shooting improvement simulator made in Turkey, which, along with other diverse equipment, was distributed to nearly all regions of Georgia this year.

On July 17, Federation Vice-President Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Regional Development Department Head Shalva Oniani, Deputy Aleko Petriashvili, and other Federation representatives delivered basketballs, backboards, uniforms, special dribbling glasses, coaching boards, whistles, and various other necessary items to Zugdidi and Mestia.

In Zugdidi, they were welcomed by Beka Bekaia, President of the Samegrelo Region Basketball Federation, and Deputy Mayor Beso Chezhia. The Deputy Mayor expressed gratitude for the equipment and shared the exciting news that the Zugdidi Sports Palace will undergo a complete reconstruction to meet modern standards, including a new heating-cooling system.

Mestia, part of the Svaneti region, received its first visit from the regional development program. Although there are basketball coaches in Mestia, the area lacks a proper basketball hall. Local government sports representatives plan to address this issue, as many young people in the region are eager to engage in basketball. Mestia has already received basic basketball equipment to facilitate training.

This marks the third year of the regional basketball development program. Representatives from the Federation have visited all regions of Georgia multiple times, providing a variety of basketball equipment to schools, which has expanded their activities and increased youth participation in the sport.