On April 13, 2017, the Public Defender of Georgia addressed the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia concerning the protection of the rights of juvenile participants of the TennisTournament of Georgia.

The recommendation is based on the application of the Union of Tennis Players’ Parents of Georgia. According to the application, the air temperature was very low during the competition held in the Mziuri court in December 2015, which endangered the health of juveniles aged 10-13. The same problem was observed in 2016 as well, when children under the age of 14 had to participate in the tournament under difficult conditions.

The Public Defender of Georgia considers that conducting a tournament in similar conditions threatens juveniles' health and does not create a safe environment oriented to their best interests. In the process of organizing a tournament, it is necessary to take into consideration all factors so that to ensure that the tournament is conducted in a healthy, safe environment, on the basis of the protection of and respect for the child's rights and freedoms, international and national legislations.

The Public Defender of Georgia addressed the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs of Georgia with a recommendation to recommend the Tennis Federation to ensure that the Tennis Tournament of Georgia is held in adequate climatic and physical conditions in order to protect the rights and safety of the juvenile participants. In addition, a monitoring mechanism should be created to ensure that the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia supervises the juveniles’ rights situation during competitions/tournaments organized by various federations.