Georgian service members’ team claims Invictus Games gold
Members of Georgia’s sitting volleyball team celebrate their tournament title. Photo: Georgia’s Defence Ministry press office.
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Georgian service members are back-to-back champions of the international Invictus Games competition after taking the gold medal in sitting volleyball in Sydney earlier today.
The group of injured and wounded troops added to their 2017 achievement by claiming the championship with a win in the final over the United Kingdom.
For Georgia the 2-0 victory followed a semifinal success against Estonia, also held today.
See highlights of the final between Georgia and the United Kingdom:
The team also overcame Germany in the quarterfinal on Monday, as well as Romania earlier in the competition.
Their performance in the final had a high-profile support from their homeland, with the Minister of Defence of Georgia Levan Izoria watching the match alongside Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Vladimer Chachibaia.
The civilian and military commanders also phoned in the victorious athletes following the conclusion of the final game to offer congratulations.
Featuring 15 athletes, the overall Georgian team is taking part in the games for the fourth time, with support from the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.
Chief of General Staff Maj Gen Chachibaia (right) and Defence Minister Levan Izoria (second from right) watch a broadcast of the celebration in Tbilisi. Photo: Georgia’s Defence Ministry press office.
They are taking part in seven sporting disciplines including archery, rallying and swimming.
Held in the Austrialian city, Invictus Games is marking its fourth edition between October 20-27, with the slogan Game on Down Under.
Organised under the patronage of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the tournament involves 500 competitors from 18 countries.
The participants engage in a range of sporting disciplines to celebrate the physical and mental resilience of troops who sustained injuries during their service.
A team of Georgia’s wounded and injured service members is in the semifinal of the international Invictus Games after defeating Germany on Monday.
The Invictus Games officially ended in Toronto, Canada. At the closing ceremony, Prince Harry talked about how astonished he was by the Georgian team. "I could not have been ready for the scale of what we witnessed at these games,” he told the audience.
A team from Georgia, consisted of service members injured during combat or peacekeeping operations, have won the Invictus Games gold medal in sitting volleyball.
A Georgian service member injured in NATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan was able to enjoy the atmosphere of a National Basketball Association (NBA) match in Washington on Monday, thanks to Georgia's basketball star Zaza Pachulia.
Injured service members from Georgia have claimed nine medals at the ongoing Marine Corps Trials competition in California, as the sports tournament hosts “wounded warriors” from seven countries.
Dimitri Muladze, a fireman of Georgia’s emergency management service, has claimed a gold medal at the world veterans judo championships in Krakow, the state body said on Tuesday.