18
Feb
Bakuriani 2023
The FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships open in Bakuriani today.
The eastern European country of Georgia hosts the World Championships for the first time. Bakuriani is a Georgian winter resort at 1,700m above sea level on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range. It is a 2.5-hour drive from the capital city of Tbilisi. The 30 medal competitions will be hosted at two main venues located 15 minutes apart: Bakuriani-Didveli (halfpipe, big air, slopestyle, parallel giant slalom, ski and snowboard cross) and Kokhta-Mitarbi (aerials).
The opening ceremony will start at 18:00 local time on 18 February 2023. The closing ceremony will be held on 5 March 2023, after Freeski and Snowboard Big Air Finals.
Before the opening ceremony, about 700 athletes from 42 countries arrived in Bakuriani to participate in the Championships. The competition includes Winter Olympic stars such as Birk Ruud (Norway), Alex Hall (USA), Walter Wallberg (Sweden), Mikael Kingsbury (Canada), Anna Gasser (Austria), Hirano Ayumu (Japan), Zoi Sadowski Synnott (New Zealand), and Mathilde Gremaud (Switzerland). Also, the fans will have the pleasure of watching new-born stars like Kirsty Muir (Great Britain), Gaon Choi (South Korea), and Mac Forehand (USA).
Units of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), including the ski patrol officers, ensure public order, traffic movement safety, and security of visitors during the world sports event. There are four security police checkpoints and two firefighter rescue brigades arranged by the Emergency Situations Management Department in Bakuriani.
Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) will live-stream the tournament. More viewing options are provided on the FIS website.
