Wheelchair Users Play Bowling in Georgia
Bowling Central hosted a bowling tournament involving persons with disabilities and their celebrity friends (Goga Chanadiri, Duta Skhirtladze, Ani Qorqia, Lika Qorqia, Tiko Sadunishvili, Nanuka Zhorzholiani, Mari Goshkheteliani, Mako Jaoshvili, Lasha Dvalishvili, Dato Minashvili, Giorgi Sukhitashvili, Oto Nemsadze, Zura Kharkhelauri, Mamuka Qatsarava, Gogi Chachanidze). Each pair in the competition consisted of one wheelchair user and one non-disabled celebrity, all of them playing in Roughriders – wheelchairs locally produced by CIL.
Mako Jaoshvili/Salome Garuchava pair one the Best Players prize among females and Lasha Kotashvili/Zura Kharkhelauri pair – among the males. The highest number of points were scored by Tea Shamatava, whose lifelong dream had been to play bowling.
The bowling tournament was organized in frames of the projects “Active Life is My Cup of Tea” and “Georgian Wheelchair Production Network” - projects implemented by persons with disabilities for persons with disabilities and aiming to promote equal opportunities and independent life of disabled people.
The key financial support for the tournament came from Adjarabet. Other supporters included: Movement for Accessible Environment, Georgian Bowling Federation, Coalition for Independent Living, TAV Georgia, Galaxy and Socar. Presents for the winners were provided by Geocell.
One of the most effective ways for social integration of persons with disabilities is their participation in sports and cultural activities. For this purpose the organizers of the project will carry out a series of similar activities involving more and more persons with disabilities in the future.