Georgia rugby chief arrested for ‘shooting his own country’s international star Ramaz Kharazishvili ‘after row in his office’

Georgian police have arrested the vice-president of the country’s rugby union, Merab Beselia, over the shooting of player Ramaz Kharazishvili. 

Kharazishvili, 32, the former captain of the Georgian national Sevens team, was shot in the leg at the offices of the sport’s governing body in the capital Tbilisi on Wednesday, September 16. 

The athlete was taken to a hospital, where he underwent surgery after sustaining a bullet wound to his shin. 

‘Kharazishvili received injuries to his leg. His life is not in danger. All employees of the Rugby Union are cooperating with the police’, Tornike Gogebashvili, acting president of the Rugby Union told 1TV.ge.

Local media said the shooting occurred after a dispute between Beselia and Kharazishvili, who is said to be a vocal critic of the Georgian Rugby Union (GRU). 

Georgian police are investigating the illegal purchase, possession, and carrying of a firearm and damage to health in the shooting. 

The incident comes as Georgia prepare to compete at the Autumn Nations Cup 2020. 

It was reported that 32 Georgian rugby clubs recently accused Interim of sabotaging efforts to create a taskforce to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sport.  

They also have criticised the GRU over how it spent state funding and the organisation’s inabilty to hold an election for a new president,  having failed to hire one since January due to internal disputes.