10:18, 1 October 2019

Organizers of Rugby World Championship apologize to Georgian national team Russian song

Georgian rugby players. Photo © : Georgian Rugby / FB

Georgia was mixed up with Russia, and its game was accompanied by a song performed by Valery Meladze; and athletes were indignant. The World Rugby has assured that such mistakes will never repeat again.

In summer, due to Russian-Georgian tensions, the rugby friendly match scheduled for August 27 was cancelled.

The protest of Georgian rugby players was caused by the fact that during their match with Uruguay on September 29, a fragment of the song by the Russian singer Valery Meladze sounded at the stadium. "It was performed by a Georgian, but it was a Russian song. Let me say that Georgia is not Russia. We have different language and culture," said Milton Haig, the head coach of the Georgian national team.

The World Rugby has apologized.

Djaba Bregvadze, the captain of the Georgian national team, has stressed that despite Meladze's Georgian origin, the songs of this singer, who lives in Russia, should not be associated with Georgia, the "Gazeta.ru" writes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 30, 2019 at 10:17 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.