Georgian athletes conquer the Olympic Festival: 8 medals and a Fair Play prize

The XVII European Youth Olympic Festival, held in Maribor (Slovenia), ended triumphantly for the Georgian national team. The pride of the country, judoka Mate Gvelesiani, and talented swimmer Anna Nizharadze, became the flag bearers of Georgia at the closing ceremony, presenting two gold medals won at the festival.

Georgia was represented at the Olympic Festival by 31 athletes who competed in nine different disciplines, including judo, athletics, swimming, 3x3 basketball, cycling, gymnastics, skateboarding and tennis.

As a result of hard efforts, the Georgian national team won an impressive number of medals - 3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze, taking 14th place among 48 participating countries. This success highlights the high level of training of the country's young athletes and their ability to fight for victory in the world sports arenas.

However, along with bright victories, Georgia has also demonstrated an example of honor and sporting kindness. Mate Gvelesiani, the festival's champion in judo, received the honorary Fair Play prize for his noble cruelty. In the final, Mate saw an injured opponent Luka Takic from Croatia and selflessly helped him to climb the podium at the award ceremony, showing respect for his opponent and the spirit of a real athlete.

The European Youth Olympic Festival plays an important role in supporting and developing young talents. This multi-sport competition gathers the best athletes in Europe aged from 14 to 18 years, giving them the opportunity to show their sporting achievements and inspire each other to further heights in their careers. The participating countries are proud of their young representatives, and Georgia is proud to celebrate its young champions and guarantees continued support for the development of sports in the country.