Georgia at the Olympics
From 1952 all the way to 1988, a thletes from the region of Georgia have competed at the Olympic Games under the former country of the Soviet Union. In 1989, Georgia established their own Olympic committee that governs anything that concerns the Olympic Games which was officially recognized in September 1993. In 1992, Georgian athletes did show up in Barcelona but competing under the banner of The Unified Team.
In 1996, they officially competed under their own flag for the first time. Georgia is one of those countries that benefited from being part of the Soviet Union as far as the Olympics is concerned because since their official debut as an independent country, Georgia has been taking home Olympic medals.
Their first gold medal however came eight years later ironically when they sent the smallest delegation that they ever had since their official debut in 1996. In August 18, judoka Zurab Zviadauri won the gold in the men's 90kg weight class making him Georgia's first-ever official Olympic gold medalist. Weightlifter Giorgi Asanidze followed this up with another gold three days later.
Georgia has also been in every Winter Olympics since their official debut in 1994.Unlike with the Summer Games though, they are yet to win their first Olympic medal from the Winter Games.
Trivia
- One of the few athletes to have won gold medals competing for two different nations is Georgian weightlifter Akakide Kakhiashvili. He won his first gold medal at Barcelona 1992 competing with the Unified Team, and later as a citizen of Greece at Atlanta 1996 and in Sydney 2000.
Related Pages
- Georgia at the Winter Olympics
- See more information about the Soviet Union at the Olympics.
- About The Unified Team
- About sport in Georgia
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