Sport in Georgia (country)
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Sport in Georgia has a long history.
The most popular sports in Georgia are football, basketball, rugby union, wrestling, judo and weightlifting. In 19th-century Georgia polo and the traditional Georgian game lelo were popular, later replaced by rugby union.
Wrestling
Football
Football is one of the most popular sports in Georgia.[2][3] It is governed by the Georgian Football Federation (GFF). The GFF organizes the men's, women's, and futsal national teams. Modern football was introduced by English sailors playing in Poti at the beginning of the 20th century.[3]
Rugby union
Rugby union is one of the most popular team sports in the country. They have qualified in every single Rugby World Cup since 2003, their best result being winning two games at pool stage in the Rugby World Cup 2015.[4] Their national team is considered to be Tier 2 with high performance.[5]
Lelo burti
Lelo, or lelo burti (Georgian: ლელო ბურთი), literally a "field ball [playing]", is a Georgian folk sport. It is a full contact ball game, similar to rugby.[6] Within Georgian rugby union terminology, the word lelo is used to mean a try, and the popularity of rugby union in Georgia has been attributed to it.
In 2014, lelo burti, along with khridoli, a traditional martial art, was inscribed by the government of Georgia as a "nonmaterial monument" of culture.[7]
It appeared in the 12th century Georgian epic poem "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" in which the characters play lelo burti.[8]
Basketball
Georgia has produced world-class basketball players including
Georgia co-hosted
As of March 2021, Georgia's men ranked 36th in the world.[9]
Weightlifting
Weightlifting is a sport athletes compete in lifting a barbel with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete vying to succesessfully lift the heaviest weights. (information is copied from this link weightlifting )
Motorsport
The only race circuit in the Caucasian region is located in Georgia.
Winter sports
Luge
See also
- Ministry of Sport & Youth Affairs of Georgia
- Sport in Abkhazia
References
- ^ Williams, Douglas. Georgia in my Heart, 1999.
- ^ Georgia’s 10 Most Popular Sports
- ^ a b "When Saturday Comes – Stable mates". Wsc.co.uk. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
- ^ rugbybworldcup.com. "Rugby World Cup 2015 - Rugby World Cup 2019 | rugbyworldcup.com". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ worldrugby.org. "World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ Wright, Angus (15 July 2020). "Imagine if Rugby had no rules – welcome to the brutal Georgian game of Lelo Burti". Where I Live. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ ""Lelo Burti"- Deadly Sport – IRAKLI DZNELADZE" (in Russian). Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ "FIBA World Ranking Presented by NIKE, men". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ "Rustavi 2 Broadcasting Company". 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ "Georgian National Broadcaster". 30 April 2012.[permanent dead link]