Kutaisi awaits next week for an historic boys EuroHockey 5s U16 Championship II tournament as the Georgian city welcomes its first international tournament from July 4th to 6th.
And Event organiser Tornike Tevdoradze – pictured at the event venue with EuroHockey Competitions Manager David Voskamp (right) – says the tournament is “a big deal for us” and the growth of the sport in the country.
And Tevdoradze says this is another significant milestone to build momentum: “We are trying to develop hockey and a new generation is coming so we are very happy to have the tournament in here and, hopefully, we can get more tournaments in future.
“Our federation turned 50 years-old just last year and there has long been a kind of root in Georgia. It’s not like field hockey, but we have a similar traditional sport, which is called Jakuni, played about 2,000 years ago with sticks and rocks so it is kind of in our roots!”
They host Armenia, Bulgaria, Luxembourg and Denmark at a new pitch opened six months ago, banked by seating for 250 people and completed with three changing rooms.
It was built with government support off the back of improving results by the women’s team from local team Ukimerioni Kutaisi on the indoor stage. There is also space nearby earmarked for an 11-a-side field in the future.
Now, there are teams in Tbilisi, Batumi, Abasha, Chokhatauri and a few other regional teams but the pandemic hit numbers hard and they are now working to grow again with a network of schools who play hockey.
It will be a new experience for the young Georgian team with all taking part in their first international tournament having only played a couple of challenge games against Armenia before.
“We did lose about 1,000 players during the pandemic so our Under-16 girls and boys teams are now nearly all new recruits and have been playing together for a few months. We have a couple of players from each city from around Georgia.
“It is a totally new team, their first competition, only just playing in local Georgian competitions. It’s an exciting time but also they have no idea how they’re likely to compete, ideas about how other countries play or things like that.
“In Georgia, you need to get results before government money comes along. If we want to grow, we need to get those and then get the investment. Right now, football and rugby are the main ones.”
It will also be a new experience for the organisers but building up that knowledge base will be another big benefit. All coaches from around the country will travel to Kutaisi to help in different roles on a voluntary basis while it is a useful arena for officials to also upskill.
“We don’t have a lot of judges or umpires here unfortunately but this is a first step. We struggle to send them to other tournaments [abroad] but having events in the country means we can improve this side of things.
“And the new generation is coming, too. Before, we had problems with English but now most kids coming from school, since 2005, they now speak it. It will help our coaches and officials to get on courses. We are taking the right steps
“Friends, family and the city government are going to come and local television will come along! This is a big deal for us and the Georgian Olympic Committee who have invested in this tournament. Most of the people really want to develop the sport and put the effort in.
“Getting more tournaments like this will definitely help us grow. The government is giving us money and this investment is staying in place so we hope to put on more tournaments in places like Batumi and Tbilisi.
“For this week, Kutaisi is a really beautiful city – I think the third oldest city in Europe – with lots of great places to see. Hopefully the TD and everyone will like it!”
Find out more
- Updates from the event will be posted on the EuroHockey website and social media platforms
