Annual site of world class tournament:
Batumi hosts Ladies Open

Batumi’s modern tennis complex, above, is the annual scene of a women’s tennis championship, the Ladies Open, a world-class tournament. This year’s championship prize is $75,000. Adjarian players have long competed world wide in the sport.

Chess is a vital sport in Adjara

Chess is one of the most popular sports in Georgia, with the nation retaining the women’s world championships for more than thirty years. The Adjara Chess Palace, right-bottom, was opened in 1999 and the European team tournament was held as part of the inaugural activities.

Last year the Intercontinental Chess Matches, held among the greatest players from Asia and Europe, took place in Batumi. Legendary chess player and long time world champion, Gary Kasparov, seen at right-top in an exhibition match, was among the prominent competitors. Adjarian player, 14-year-old, Salome Melia also participated and later became a Champion in the Youth competitions of 2001.

Wrestling stars:
Olympians and world champions

Another popular Adjarian sport is wrestling. Two of the region’s top competitors, Rostom Abashidze and David Gvantsaladze are world champions. Seen below is Mukhran Vakhtangadze who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and is also holder of several world championship titles.

Rusudan Sikharulidze:
Pride of Georgian sports

One of the all-time great Adjarian athletes is Rusudan Sikharulidze, a world-class gymnastic champion and President of the Adjarian organization within the Georgian National Olympic Committee. Competing from her home base in Batumi, Ms. Sikharulidze was a two-time Soviet champion in sports
calisthenics and an Olympic gold medallist in the 1970s.

Basketball in Batumi:
Basco’s record of success

The Adjarian basketball club "Basco" was founded in Batumi in 1998. Since then the club has participated in the Georgian National Championships, wining the national title three years in a row, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Excellent coaching, and participation on the team by players from the United States, as well as from Cameron, Russia and Georgia were the principal reasons for the teams success.

The team’s first coach was Valeri Altabaev, a member of the Tbilisi European championship team in 1962. Altabaev provided the style of play which was vital to the championship victories. Zurrab Tomaradze was the second coach and presided over the 2000 and 2001 championship seasons.

The team has been provided with a completely modern training base, including training rooms, superb locker rooms and a restful sauna. Team trainers keep a close eye on the physical development of the younger players as well as the veteran stars.

Among the leading players are Jeff Rogers and Nick Dillon from the United States. The team is sponsored by the company whose name it bears, Basco, a shipping agency that provides maritime services in Georgia and abroad.

Adjarian rugby club: Georgian Victors

Competitors participate in many other sports in Adjara. Karate and other eastern martial arts have more than 3,000 involved. Seen below is a Batumi Rugby club, the Bears, a team which repeated as national champion over the years. Batumi’s soccer club, “Dinamo” has won the Georgia cup and played in the European Championships.