Georgia Rugby Union responds to the statement issued by World Rugby, according to which several violations of anti-doping regulations were identified within Georgia’s men’s national rugby team ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup held in France.

“As a result of these violations, six national team players and one staff member have been suspended for various periods. Consequently, World Rugby also brought a misconduct charge against the Georgian Rugby Union.

The Union accepted World Rugby’s decision, which, alongside the corresponding financial penalty, includes an obligation to implement reforms in the field of anti-doping education.

From the very first day of the process, Georgia Rugby Union has cooperated fully and transparently with World Rugby.

As part of the anti-doping education reform, intensive work is already underway, and stricter preventive measures have been introduced.

Georgia Rugby Union takes full responsibility for improving anti-doping processes within Georgian rugby and is doing everything possible to ensure that the Game in Georgia remains clean, transparent, and fully compliant with World Rugby standards”.