On January 4th, President Mikheil Saakashvili attended the closing ceremony of the "Sukhia 2006" ski tournament in Bakuriani. President Saakashvili skied with the professional and amateur sportsman participants, and after the tournament addressed the attendees:
"Greetings to you all. I want to say how pleased I am that we are finally starting to resemble and be better than normal European countries. Today, together with you, I was an ordinary participant in the Sulkhan Sulkhanishvili tournament, the Sukhia tournament. It has been taking place for many years. He was an ordinary Tbilisi boy who gave up everything to make sure that his country would be a normal, successful state.
I want to tell you one thing. Georgia has gold mines. We are still a country where there are very many people in hardship. But you also know full well that we have resorts that are the best in Europe - Bakuriani and Gudauri. By the way, we also have Mestia and many other places where downhill skiing can develop and where many tourists can come.
I want you to know that this winter, or, rather, beginning in September, we are starting - [changes tack] Just as we built [repaired] the Gudauri road last year, cutting journey times by an hour because it is now a normal, European-standard road, we will start building a normal road to Bakuriani this summer so that we can come to Bakuriani using a normal, European-standard road.
As early as September, for the first time in Georgia, we will have a European-standard airport in Tbilisi, which means that any foreign tourist can come and bring money into Bakuriani households and Bakuriani residents' pockets. They will come together with you [Georgian visitors], and we will become a normal European resort like Austrian, Swiss and other European resorts.
We are not inferior to anyone. There are very few downhill skiing resorts in the world. These resorts are Georgia's gold mine. This is our mine now. Do you want it to be used by all of us for the benefit of our country? We will do this all together.
Georgia is a country for tourism, the best country. They can talk as much as they want about a war breaking out here tomorrow and troubles and disturbances starting after that - nothing like that will happen. We are a normal, settled, fun-loving and clever people who like the good life. No matter what problems we have, we will get our country on its feet. I have been to resorts across the whole of Europe. I go to conferences and various other events as president and I have seen them all. None is better than Bakuriani and none is better than Gudauri.
As early as this year a second ski lift will be built in Gudauri, which will be much better than the one that existed in the past 30 years. Do you want it? We will start this in the month of April. We have repaired the road to Gudauri. Now, another ski lift will be built in Bakuriani similar to Didveli but twice as long and a third ski lift also similar to Didveli. We will build European-standard ski lifts here in Bakuriani so that the whole of Europe goes green with envy.
In the month of September, just as we repaired the road to Gudauri last year, on 1 September, I promise you, road works will start in Bakuriani, so that we no longer have to go round potholes and travel in a straight line. That is because I want Georgians, above all, but also Russians, Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Austrians and Swiss people to use a normal road and realize that Georgia is the most interesting country in Europe, with the most attractive ski runs in Europe, with the best ski lifts in Europe. I have seen all sorts of ski lifts in Europe and Didveli is currently the best. It this not true?
Communists ruled this country for 80 years. Over these 80 years they developed Kokhta Gora, [built] another run, Tatrapoma, and the Gudauri run. In the last two years we have built a new run in Bakuriani. This year we are building two new runs in Bakuriani and two new runs in Gudauri. We will do better than everyone else and show everyone that free Georgia is a much more interesting country than all kinds of Communist regimes.
Two days ago I received our [figure] skater Elene Gedevanishvili. Abramishvili competed against 100 people who have their personal psychologists, their personal psychotherapists, their own people applying some kind of stuff to skis, several personal trainers. He beat them all and finished 29th in a field of 100 people. That is a very high placement. He is just 17.
The Russians trained our skier Elene Gedevanishvili and told her that she should become a Russian citizen if she wanted to continue her career. We told her, leave these Russians alone, we will hire the best American trainer for you, will pay you money and will give you a scholarship. Go, learn and win a gold medal for Georgia, or silver, or bronze - we will be happy with any medal because we are a sporting state, we are a state with a healthy spirit, healthy physical training.
We are as good as anyone else, as good as the Austrians, as good as the Swiss, as good as the Germans, as good as the Swedes, Norwegians or Russians because we have the most beautiful resorts, the most beautiful mountains, the most clever people, the most daring young people, and we can achieve the most. Isn't that right?
That is why this year we, the Georgian authorities, will build - together with businessmen - several new ski lifts and several new runs for you. We will fight for the Olympics to be held here. Let's hope it will be held here. If not, that would be no problem either. You must know that the main thing is not for us to produce world and Olympic champions or to produce new Abramishvilis and Gedevanishvilis. The main thing is for all of us to be healthy, sensible, happy and fun-loving people confident in our own abilities.
In the last two years we built more roads than were built in [the preceding] 30 years. We have built more ski lifts than were built in [the preceding] 40 years. We have built more sports routes [as heard] than were built throughout the Soviet period. That is because we are free. We know one thing, which is no one will be able to humiliate us and laugh at us any longer. Despite continuing attempts, they will no longer be able to recruit our athletes. We will teach everyone that we are Georgians, we are strong, we are sporting people, we are successful, we are modern people, we are Europeans, and the strongest Europeans in Europe.
What can I tell you? You president is certainly not the most important sportsman in this country, certainly not. I did not compete in the Sukhia today and did not have a chance or desire to ski against a timer. But we know one thing: if at least 20 percent in my country can ski as well as the country's president [laughter in crowd], if just 20 percent can run as well as I do together with our troops, if just 10 percent play basketball as well as I do, it means that we are strong and very interesting sporting nation.
I do not aspire to be a champion. However, during my presidency Georgia must produce 100, 200 or 300 champions. Not only do I have such aspirations but also a plan and a clearly defined route for implementing this plan together with you.
People, why are we inferior to anyone? Why should we be going on to a skating rink in order to lose? Why should we go on to a football field merely to lose? Why should we go on to a ski run merely to lose? Are our ski runs inferior to anyone else's? Why should we go on to any other arena, battlefield or contest merely to lose? Are we inferior to anyone?
We are being told that we should step to the side and they will do everything for us. I'm sorry, but that won't do. They were trying to get in our way. Do you know what freedom is? When no-one gets in your way and you fully achieve the goal you have set yourself. We should show the whole world that we are Georgians - when I say Georgians, I mean Georgians, Georgian Azeris, Georgian Armenians, Georgian Ossetians, Georgian Abkhaz, Georgian Jews, Georgian, I don't know, Americans, Dutch and so on - and that we are the strongest. We are the strongest, are we not? I've always suspected that.
I promise you that there will be artificial snow machines in Bakuriani as early as this autumn, there will be a new run, there will be a new ski run, there will be a new ski lift in Gudauri, there will be hundreds of new grounds for our footballers, basketball players, wrestlers and so on. I will do everything possible for you and we will do everything possible for you. The rest - you are here, the strongest Georgians - the rest is up to you.
I look forward to future victories together with you. Thank you."
This translation is published with permission from BBC Monitoring, Reading UK
Communications Office
of the President of Georgia