Kakha Beridze: Georgian athletes will go to Sochi Olympics, since they are out of politics

The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Georgia supports the decision of the government of the country not to go to the Olympic Games in Sochi. Georgian political analysts also treat as the best solution the decision of the Georgian authorities to abandon the official representative office in Sochi. However, the political analysts differ in assessing the decision to send Georgian athletes to take part in the Games under the Georgian flag.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 2, the Georgian NOC voted to send Georgian athletes to take part in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. On December 2, Irakly Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, announced that the Georgian government decided not to go to Sochi for participation in the official activities of the Olympic Games.

Kakha Beridze, Press Secretary of the Georgian NOC, has stated that the decision lies in the political arena and does not concern participation of Georgian athletes in the Sochi Olympic Games.

It is impossible for the Georgian government to visit Sochi, since there are no diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia. This was emphasized by Soso Tsintsadze, the head of the Diplomatic Department of the Georgian-American University of Tbilisi.

Gela Vasadze, the head of the NGO "Free Zone", believes that the persons, who approve the participation of the Georgian national team in the Sochi Olympic Games, underestimate the situation. According to him, apart from the purely moral aspect, there are risks that can turn into political losses. "In fact, our Olympians make a step towards the legitimization of Abkhazia and South Ossetia," Gela Vasadze notes.

Let us remind you that Georgia broke off diplomatic relations with Russia after in August 2008, Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.