Retired Georgian rugby player honoured in France

A retired Georgian rugby player who spent the majority of his sporting career in France has been honoured with a sporting award similar to the stars that feature on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Georgian-born Gia Labadze has been awarded a sporting star in Toulon. His name has been permanently etched in the ground alongside an image of a rugby ball.

Labadze played for the Georgian national side as a flanker and spent the majority of his club career in Toulon, where he captained the team from 2006-2007.

He moved to France from Russia,where he previously played domestically, in 1998 after being spotted playing for Georgia against Ireland and Romania in the 1999 World Cup qualifiers.

After leaving Toulon, Labadze spent the rest of his career in French Rugby Union club competition Fédérale 1 – the highest level of amateur rugby. He joined French rugby side Stade Phocéen for a single season and spent his last two seasons with La Seyne before retiring from rugby in 2012.