Грузия / Georgia

Georgia first appeared as an independent nation at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Olympic Games and then sent a team of 34 to the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. Judo, weightlifting and wrestling have been the most productive sports for Georgian athletes.

They had competed as part of the Unified team at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. Judoka Davit ROSTOMOVICH KHAKHALEISHVILI won the men's heavyweight and was the first to see the Georgian flag raised in the Olympic Games arena.

At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, weighlifter Giorgi AZANIDZE won the men's light heavyweight gold and Zurab ZVIADAURI was men's middleweight judo champion. At Beijing 2008, wrestlers Manuchar K'VIRK'ELIA (men's Greco-Roman middleweight) and Revaz MINDORASHVILI (men's light heavyweight freestyle) won gold and Irakli TSIREKIDZE won the men's middleweight judo title.

Pistol shooter Nino SALUKVADZE's bronze in the women's air pistol capped a remarkable career stretching back 20 years and six Olympic Games. She made her Olympic debut representing the Soviet Union and won gold in the 10m air pistol and took silver in the 25m sports pistol at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games.

 In the Soviet era, many Georgians won gold medals representing the Soviet Union.

At the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games, wrestler Davit TSIMAK'URIDZE became the first Georgian to win an Olympic Games gold medal when he triumphed in the middleweight freestyle.

On the same day, Arsen MEKOKISHVILI won the freestyle men's heavyweight. Weightlifter Rapael CHIMISHK'IANI won gold in the men's featherweight.

Triple jumper Viktor SANEYEV is Georgia's most successful competitor in athletics. He set a world record to win his first gold medal at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games and went on to win three consecutive titles. In his fourth Olympic Games appearance in 1980, he collected a silver medal.