Soccer, the most popular sport
Georgian soccer faces many financial problems, but like almost every other sport on the planet, it is the country's most popular sport. Up until Euro 2024, Georgia had not taken part in any international competitions and had far more defeats than victories... However, since its first official match in 1990, Georgian soccer has managed to produce some fine players, notably the legend Kakhaber Kaladze. The greatest player in the country's history played for the legendary AC Milan for nine seasons (2001-2010). The only Georgian to have won the Champions League (in 2003 and 2007), as well as being Italian champion (2004) and captain of the Georgian national team on fifty occasions (out of eighty-three caps), Kaladze boasts the most impressive list of honours in a country that has even issued postage stamps bearing his likeness. Now retired from football, he has embraced a political career. He was Minister of Energy and Natural Resources from 2012 to 2017, before being elected Mayor of Tbilisi.
Georgia's first qualification for an international competition, Euro 2024, was crowned with success: the Georgian team managed the tour de force of emerging from the group stages by beating Portugal 2-0, and even gave the Spanish team a few minutes of doubt in their Round of 8 match. La Roja still came out on top (4-1), but the Georgians had the honor of losing to the team that won Euro 2024 and had been unplayable throughout the competition.
As far as local clubs are concerned, the country's best team is FC Dinamo Tbilisi, which was one of the best Soviet teams in the 1980s. Since independence, they have won virtually every domestic competition, but have never recovered their European Cup form. Their main rival is FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi.
A passion for wrestling and traditional martial arts
Georgia has a long tradition and great diversity of martial arts(khridoli), with original techniques. This tradition is not indifferent to the country's turbulent history. For long periods, training accomplished warriors was a matter of survival... Indeed, this type of martial art has a tradition throughout the Caucasus.
The various forms of khridoli include fighting with bare hands and with bladed weapons. Since the 1980s, khridoli has undergone a major revival in Georgia, both in club form and as a form of theater or folk dance.
Wrestling itself, tjidaoba, is often considered the national sport. By extension, Georgians excel in all hand-to-hand combat sports, from judo to Greco-Roman wrestling. Kakhetian or Kartli stature is legendary..
A good rugby nation
Even in Soviet times, rugby union was very popular in Georgia, and Georgians had some of the best players in the Soviet Union. In 1964, the Georgian Rugby Federation was founded, and the sport has gone from strength to strength ever since. The national team players, known as Lélos after a traditional sport related to rugby, qualified for a World Cup for the first time in 2003 (without winning a match). But they have gone from strength to strength and, despite a lack of resources, have participated in every World Cup finals since. In September 2024, the Georgians were ranked twelfth by World Rugby.
French clubs are therefore home to many Georgian rugby players. One of the best players in the XV de France between 2002 and 2012 was Dimitri Yachvili, of Georgian origin (his brother played in the Georgian national team). The legendary Biarritz Olympique scrum-half won the French championship twice (2005, 2006), the English championship with Gloucester (2002) and four editions of the Six Nations Tournament (2004, 2006, 2007, 2010).
In terms of activities, let's take on nature
Hiking. A trip to Georgia means packing a pair of hiking boots. Between forests and picturesque villages, whether for a day or several days, there's plenty to do, especially on the Caucasus trails dominated by high peaks.
With its dose of adventure, the Greater Caucasus is a place to explore, discover and survey. Tuchetia, on the edge of Dagestan, is particularly recommended. In the land of shepherds and pastoral villages, in a setting as wild as it is pastoral, what a pleasure to walk from Omalo to the Tuchetia Pirikiti valley, for example! The Transcaucasian Trail network, which "crosses" Georgia and passes through Armenia and Azerbaijan, is also worth a visit. From the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea, there are over 3,000 km to cover. Cycling enthusiasts will also find plenty to enjoy.
Rafting and canyoning. Thrill-seekers won't want to miss the 5 km of rapids on the Rioni, with its breathtaking views over the town of Koutaïssi in Imeretia, western Georgia.
Skiing. Georgia, where the high peaks guarantee snow for at least two months from Christmas onwards, also attracts ski enthusiasts, with heli-skiing (for the more affluent), cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. The top ski resort is Goudaouri in the Greater Caucasus. This is the Georgian resort with the most beautiful slopes in a spectacular landscape. Situated at an altitude of 2,196 m and 120 km from Tbilisi, 4 km before the Croix pass, the resort, which has been sponsored by Austria since 1985, is the most popular. It has expanded in recent years with the construction of numerous infrastructures, hotels, etc., attracting not only Tbilisi's wealthy society but also an international public.
If not for skiing, Goudaouri won't hold the visitor's attention; the landscape is grandiose, but unlike Bakouriani, the village is devoid of charm and there's little to do in the surrounding area. Bakouriani is located above Bordjomi, 1,700 m above sea level in the Trialeti range, in the heart of the Lesser Caucasus. While Bakouriani has been overtaken in capacity and skiable area by Goudaouri, it remains undeniably the more charming of the two. It is superbly situated in a natural cirque (the Bakouriani "depression"), formed by a lava flow from the Moukheri volcano. The cirque is very green, at the foot of great bumpy volcanic peaks, including Mount Kokhta (2,255 m), on which the ski area is built.
