The President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis lays the foundation stone of the Troodos Ski Center.
The Troodos ski resort can be an ornament, an attraction and a reference point, says the President
The Troodos ski resort can be an ornament, an attraction and a reference point President Anastasiades said on Saturday at the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the center for the construction of the New Ski Building in the Sun Valley area in Troodos.
He spoke about a historic day strong> to make Cyprus a snow center, adding that as a Mediterranean country we may not have the snowfall that others have, but it could not be tolerated for decades to host the Club and visitors and the ski resorts more widely, organized and not, in shacks “that really when I visited them I felt ashamed, it was not worthy of a country like Cyprus”.
He said that the state decided to allocate two million euros and the ski group to contribute about one and a half. The President clarified that he expected that today he would make the inauguration, but there were some legislative problems with the Group's Statute, due to paperwork, as a result of which there was a delay.
But he noted that what matters is that the foundation is in place, the funds are approved, there's not going to be any backsliding, there's not going to be any backtracking and that decision that was made and the determination to build a modern center like that depicted in the drawings.
“How much it will be beneficial for the residents of the area is understood, as well as for the visitation and others. The most important thing is that our athletes will be served and I want you to know that we are protagonists as a result of the activities of the President of the Club in the small states, in the emerging states in skiing, and therefore this is a contribution to the whole effort of those who love this sport “, he said.
He also noted that for more than ten years we have not been absent from international ski competitions, regardless of whether we have snow or not, and of course skiing is among the Olympic sports.
In his greeting, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus Ski Club Dinos Lefkaritis,expressed his thanks to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, who, with his important help in securing the required funds, made a decisive contribution to making the construction possible. As Mr. Lefkaritis mentioned, the realization of the New Ski Building is achieved after many years of efforts and consultations of all the Boards of Directors of the Group. “With its completion, the area will be transformed into a dream landscape which we believe will be a pole of attraction for even more ski enthusiasts and for countless visitors”, he emphasized.
The Ski Center in Troodos has been operating since 1960 until recently with minimal changes and improvements. The construction of the new building is expected to significantly upgrade the area and the sport of skiing. The chain-like positive effects of this upgrade include the increase of winter and sports tourism, the enrichment of the winter tourism product, the promotion of domestic tourism, the activation of mountain communities and the support of their economies, the social and sporting activity of young people in the mountainous areas, and the upgrading of the sporting presence of Cyprus at an international level.
The building will have a total area of 1082 square meters and will include a ski equipment rental shop, a meeting room and dining areas. All areas of the building are accessible to Persons with Disabilities (PWD). The project is expected to significantly upgrade the area and will contribute to reducing the negative effects of seasonality.
