President Klaus Iohannis attended on Saturday the official inauguration of Romania's largest golf resort in Teleac, near the central city of Alba Iulia, a private investment of which the head of the state said is one-of-a-kind in Romania, placing the country on the map of world-class golf facilities.
In his address on the occasion, Klaus Iohannis - a golf enthusiast himself - told project initiator Ioan Popa that his investment is extraordinary and lauded his involvement as a businessman in sports promotion.
"You have succeeded, Mr. Popa, to make a one-of-a-kind investment in Romania, and I say this with all responsibility. This investment is unique from at least two points of view. (...) This is a public facility, a golf course, a leisure facility, a resort. (...) This involvement of a businessman in the sport industry, in this noble sport in this particular case, is extraordinary, worthy of praise and appreciation. Secondly, this is not just any golf course. (...) It's a course that will for many years from now on put Romania's golf play on a completely new level," said Iohannis, underscoring that thanks to this investment "Romania truly gets on the map of world-class golf".
Klaus Iohannis has been several times this year in Alba County to enjoy a game of golf, also on the Pianu course.
Attending the inauguration were, among others, former ministers Ioan Rus and Vasile Dincu, county and local authorities, business people and golfers.
The freshly inaugurated facility in Teleac is the largest golf resort in Romania, featuring a 735m Par-6 hole, the longest in Europe; the course will open for games in spring next year.
A private investment worth 15 million euro, the new resort includes the 56-hectare golf course with 18 tracks, as well as four-star plus accommodation and leisure facilities.
"The complex is intended to become a destination on the map of Romanian tourism and increase the tourist potential of the area at national and international scale due to its excellent location, right at the heart of the country, in one of the most valuable locations of Romania," declared the president of the club Ioan Popa, who has been practicing this sport for over a decade.
The complex, which took about two years to build, also features a driving range for training; a Gulf Academy for children will also open in the near future.
The new facility is also an easy to reach destination for foreign tourists, as it sits at a handy distance of some two-hours' drive from the airports of Cluj or Sibiu.
The resort, spanning more than 62 hectares, includes a compound of 14 villas, a conference hall, an outdoor pool, the administrative building of the club and a restaurant.