Basketball Development Program in the Regions | Misaktsieli, Khashuri, Akhaltsikhe

GBF 2025-12-13

The Regional Development Program is actively ongoing, implemented by the Regional Department of the Georgian Basketball Federation in cooperation with FIBA. The goal of the program is to deliver basketball equipment to all regions of Georgia and, through this, to promote the development of the sport and increase grassroots participation in basketball.

The program receives a grant from FIBA’s Youth Development Fund (YDF), to which the Georgian Basketball National Federation adds substantial financial resources. As a result, all necessary equipment is purchased both abroad and in Georgia. The program has been running for more than three years, during which time the Federation has delivered over a thousand basketballs and uniforms, dozens of basketball backboards and 24-second shot clock devices, various training equipment, shooting correction machines, and basketball literature to every region of Georgia.

The program is led by the Head of the Federation’s Regional Department, Shalva Oniani, and the Federation’s Vice President, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who, together with Federation staff, travel by truck to each region to deliver equipment selected through a special assessment process.

In most cases, the equipment is handed over to the local basketball federation, which then distributes it across the region as needed to all cities and villages where basketball programs are operating. The most recent visits took place on December 10–11 in the regions of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli, and Samtskhe-Javakheti.

The Federation’s Vice President—who played professionally in the recent past and represented NBA teams for five years starting in 2002—is warmly welcomed in every city and village. Young players are delighted not only to speak with Nikoloz Tskitishvili and take photos with him, but also to listen to his valuable advice. Tskitishvili, in turn, is happy to engage with young people in the regions, offering them both professional basketball guidance and practical life advice.

Participants in the program began the day with a visit to the village of Misaktsieli in the Mtskheta district, continued on to Khashuri, and concluded in Akhaltsikhe. At each of these locations, equipment designated for the specific region was delivered. In Khashuri, coaches from Kaspi were present to receive equipment allocated for their city, while in Akhaltsikhe, basketball coaches from Borjomi arrived for the same purpose.

The program continues, with the next visit planned for Chiatura, where equipment will be delivered to support a girls’ basketball school.