Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has strongly criticised the composition of Georgia’s delegation at the Winter Olympics in Italy, describing the squad as “absolutely shameful”, Idman.Biz reports.
In a statement published on social media, Saakashvili claimed that six of the eight Georgian athletes competing at the Winter Games were either representatives of Russian sport or closely connected to it. He also took issue with the choice of flag bearer at the opening ceremony, noting that the Georgian flag was carried by the daughter of renowned Russian figure skating coach Eteri Tutberidze.
“I call on the rest of the world not to accept this self-proclaimed team as representatives of Georgia, and I want to tell Georgians that this is not your team,” Saakashvili wrote.
Georgia is represented at the 2026 Winter Olympics by eight athletes across two sports. In alpine skiing, the country is competing through Luka Buchukuri and Nino Tsiklauri. In figure skating, the delegation includes Luka Berulava, Gleb Smolkin, Diana Davis, Nika Egadze, Anastasia Gubanova and Anastasia Metelkina. Several of those skaters have previously trained in Russia or changed sporting nationality in recent years, a trend that has sparked debate amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Saakashvili is currently serving a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence in Georgia on multiple convictions. His social media statements are published with the assistance of his legal team and communications staff, who relay his comments following prison visits.
