Photo of Georgian wrestlers in T-shirts with Russian flag triggers protests in Tbilisi

A photo of the members of the Georgian national freestyle wrestling team and their coach wearing T-shirts with a portrait of the Russia's freestyle wrestling head coach against the background of the Russian flag, posted on the Internet, has turned into scandal; a protest action was held in Tbilisi.

A wave of criticism hit the wrestlers after the Georgian Service of Radio Liberty posted a photo, in which Geno Petriashvili, a European champion and bronze medallist of the Olympic Games, Zurab Iakobashvili, a world champion, and Giorgi Iantbelidze, the head coach of the Georgian national team, are pictured in T-shirts painted in colours of the Russian tricolour and bearing the portrait of Dzambolat Tedeev, the head coach of the Russian national freestyle wrestling team, and an MP of North-Ossetian Parliament.

Dzambolat (Djambolat) Tedeev, a 1993 European champion, is the head coach of the Russian national freestyle wrestling team. In 2011, Tedeev tried to run for South-Ossetian presidency, but the Central Election Commission (CEC) refused to register his candidacy.

"I understand sports friendship regardless of nationality; however, a photo against the colours of the enemy flag, a portrait of a member of the separatist regime ... Has none of you noticed that he put on a T-shirt with colours of the Russian flag??? Shame on you!" the "Echo of the Caucasus" quotes a typical comment posted in the Georgian segment of social networks.

The outrage has grown into a protest against wrestlers. On August 17, activists of the movement "Our Country Is Occupied" held a picket in front of the National Wrestling Federation.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 18, 2018 at 07:56 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.