Georgian athletes claim top spots as Greece hosts first European Championships in Georgian Wrestling

The first edition of the European Championships in Georgian Wrestling was hosted on Tuesday in an ancient Greek amphitheatre in Thessaloniki, with the three top spots claimed by wrestlers from the country.

Featuring athletes from over 25 nations competing in the absolute weight category, the event saw Georgia’s Onise Bughadze claim the gold medal and the European Champion’s title, followed by Saba Inaneishvili who earned silver and Levan Matiashvili for bronze.

Georgia’s Ministry of Sports said the occasion of the first edition of the tournament was marked by performances of the Georgian National Ballet Sukhishvili in the launch event.

Khridoli, a type of martial arts from Georgia, was also performed along with a video introducing the development of Georgian wrestling. Those involved in the event also saw a documentary about various techniques of the wrestling type. 

The competition aims to showcase the traditional Georgian wrestling, which was included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2018.