Georgia’s U18 rugby team visit children’s clinic for laughter therapy

Georgia’s Under-18 national rugby team visited children in a Tbilisi clinic on Monday to engage in laughter therapy and entertain the patients as part of a Georgian rugby union programme, the national body said.

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Following their victory over the Czech Republic in the Rugby Europe U18 championship quarter-final on Monday, the junior Lelos and entertainment artists joined children at the clinic and engaged in activities with them.

            Photo: Georgia Rugby Union

Nodar Andguladze, the welfare coordinator at the rugby union, told agenda.ge the initiative had been conceived to create a positive mood for the children who had to spend between days and weeks at the clinic.

             Photo: Georgia Rugby Union

Andguladze said players from other national teams featuring in the ongoing championship would also be engaged in a “number of different social campaigns” within the programme.

                    Photo: Georgia Rugby Union 

He noted members of Romania’s U18 squad would have an opportunity to meet internally displaced persons from Ukraine, Syria and Iraq on Tuesday and give presents to young members of the families.

            Photo: Georgia Rugby Union  

In comments about the rugby union’s involvement in social campaigns, Andguladze highlighted the governing body’s partnership with the United Nation’s women’s organisation and its role in raising awareness of violence against women, and said the upcoming match within the ongoing championship on Thursday would be dedicated to empowerment of women in sports.