From leloburti to rugby:
Animation tells history of Georgian rugby (VIDEO)
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Did you know the roots of Georgian rugby can be traced back thousands of years to a local game remarkably similar to the modern sport?
A new short animation by TBC Bank, the new title sponsor of Georgia's national rugby team, narrates the vibrant history of rugby in Georgia.
The video goes back to the founding of Leloburti, a game involving Georgian villages and towns in a marathon running with a ball that could weigh as much as 16kg.
(picture ) The video explains the ancient Georgian game leloburti that preceded the development of professional rugby in Georgia. Screenshot from the video.
The game - the name of which now serves as the international nickname The Lelos for the Georgian national rugby team – evolved over centuries before modern rugby first appeared in the country in the 20th Century. The official national team was established in 1989.
The team recently reached its highest world ranking of 12th and qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The Lelos performance at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the team's push for more opportunities against 'top tier' rugby nations became the subject of a recent infographic from JumpStart Georgia.
Featuring English subtitles, the animation also sheds the light on the story behind the vine branch badge on the team's official jersey, as well as the ancient Caucasian symbol of Borjghali, also found on the kit.
Watch the video animation Short History of Georgian Rugby below:
Georgia’s rugby team makes history with new world ranking
Georgia's national rugby team is making history.
The meteoric rise of the Georgian national rugby team over the last decade is the focus of a new infographic that illustrates how the Lelos have climbed up the world rankings to make an impression on the world rugby stage.
Georgia’s national rugby team has unveiled its new official jersey and an online store for team merchandise in an exclusive live event broadcast to thousands of sports fans online earlier this evening.
World Rugby, the international governing body of the game, has released the first episode of Georgia: Rugby's Next Superpower, a documentary series tracing the nation's "meteoric" rise to prominence on the international rugby stage.
Residents of two villages in Georgia’s west on Sunday hosted a match of leloburti, a traditional Georgian sport similar to rugby, to mark the Easter holiday, with foreign visitors and media invited to follow the contest.
Black Lion, the first Georgian professional rugby franchise, will make history by featuring in the European Professional Club Rugby’s Challenge Cup, an annual competition scheduled to begin in December.