Shalva Papuashvili: For a Country Like Ours, Sport Means Proudly Carrying the Nation’s Name, Flying Its Flag High, Hearing Its Anthem Resound, and Celebrating Victories Together
Chairman of Parliament 23 Dec 2025
“I am delighted to attend the athletes’ awards ceremony at the end of the year and to have the opportunity not only to join in heartfelt congratulations, but also to once again speak about the importance of Georgian sport, both from a sporting and a state perspective”, - stated the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, H.E. Shalva Papuashvili, while addressing the 2025 Best Athlete Award Ceremony.
As the Speaker noted, sport represents victory achieved through extremely hard work, overcoming challenges, and enduring numerous setbacks and defeats.
“Georgian sport and its centuries-old history are a true source of pride for our country. The heroic and noble martial tradition that has characterized our nation for millennia has been carried forward by Georgian sport with the same determination, bringing us joy time and again through its outstanding achievements.
Sport is a way of life—it is labor, dedication, the sharing and passing on of knowledge between generations, dignity, and chivalry, which accompany an athlete throughout their entire life, not only during their active years.
Sport is an earned name and honor that adds to an athlete’s personal dignity and obliges them to bear that dignity responsibly.
For a country like ours, sport means proudly carrying the nation’s name, flying its flag high, hearing its anthem resound loudly, and celebrating victories together as a people. Sport is victory won through the most demanding effort, challenges, and many falls and defeats, yet, when combined with talent, it is invincible and just”, - Shalva Papuashvili stated.
According to the Speaker, Georgia’s best sporting days still lie ahead, and Georgian athletes will achieve many more significant victories.
“Today, in this hall, we see distinguished athletes from several generations who have carried the country’s name with honor. Thousands of people, thousands of children, are watching this event today, for whom the country’s sporting past, its achievements, and its present serve as examples and inspiration—fueling motivation and determination to raise and carry Georgia’s name higher, faster, and stronger.
Most importantly, for every supporter of Georgian sport, it is a unique source of joy that uplifts our hearts, inspires our minds, and energizes our work. Precisely because we understand the importance of such a vital element of the nation as sport, we devote such attention to it and stand by its development and popularization.
We believe that Georgia’s best days are ahead, and together, in this and other halls, we will celebrate many more victories of our athletes”, - Shalva Papuashvili concluded.
