Sport in Georgia

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Ancient Georgian iconic art depicting wrestling
Ancient Georgian iconic art depicting wrestling

Historically, Georgia has been famous for its physical education; it is known that the Romans were fascinated with Georgians' physical qualities after seeing the training techniques of ancient Iberia.[1]

Among the most popular sports in Georgia are football, basketball, rugby union, wrestling, and weightlifting. Other famous sports in 19th century Georgia were horse polo and lelo, a traditional Georgian game later replaced by rugby union.

Contents

[edit] Football

See main Football in Georgia

[edit] Wrestling

Wrestling remains a historically important sport of Georgia and some historians think that the Greco-Roman style of wrestling incorporates many Georgian elements.[2] Within Georgia, one of the most popularized styles of wrestling is the Kakhetian style. However, there have been a number of other styles that are not as widely used today. For example, the Khevsureti region of Georgia has three different styles of wrestling.

[edit] Rugby union

See main Rugby union in Georgia

Rugby union is a popular team sport played in Georgia. Rugby union is considered the second most popular sport in Georgia, after Association football.

[edit] Rugby League

see Rugby league in Georgia

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Romans erected the statue of the Iberian King Pharsman after he demonstrated Georgian training methods during his visit to Rome; Cassius Dio, Roman History, LXIX, 15.3
  2. ^ Williams, Douglas. Georgia in my Heart, 1999.