WRESTLING AND WEIGHTLIFTING THE CAS UPHOLDS FOUR APPEALS AGAINST THE GEORGIAN ANTI-DOPING AGENCY AND FOUR GEORGIAN ATHLETES
Lausanne, 1 October 2025 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport has upheld four separate appeals against the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency (GADA) and four Georgian athletes concerning an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV). Mr Dato Piruzashvili, Mr Nika Kentchadze, Mr Gurami Giorbelidze and Mr Revaz Davitadze (the Athletes) are sanctioned with a 4-year period of ineligibility from 30 September 2025, with credit for any provisional suspensions served.
Mr Dato Piruzashvili and Mr Nika Kentchadze are wrestlers and members of Georgia’s National Wrestling Federation Team. Mr Gurami Giorbelidze and Mr Revaz Davitadze are weightlifters who compete at international level. Between July and September 2023, all Athletes were charged by GADA with an ADRV following an out-of-competition doping control which detected the presence of ostarine. Ostarine is a Prohibited Substance in the WADA Prohibited List (S.1.2 Other Anabolic Agent) and GADA subsequently imposed a 4-year period of ineligibility.
On 20 June 2024, the Tbilisi City Court delivered a judgment ruling that a person inflicted bodily harm on the four Athletes, adding the Prohibited Substance to their drinking water while they were staying at a sports base in Bakuriani, Georgia. Later, the Athletes requested a review of their suspensions, stating they were victims of a spiking offense. In August and September 2024, GADA’s Disciplinary Committee found the Athletes bore no fault or negligence for the ADRV and annulled the suspensions.
WADA filed two separate appeals to CAS on 8 November 2024 against GADA and Mr Piruzashvili and Mr Kentchadze. The International Weightlifting Federation filed two appeals against GADA and Mr Giorbelidze and Mr Davitadze. All appeals requested to set aside the GADA decisions and sanction the Athletes with 4-year period of ineligibility, claiming that serious doubts exist surrounding the circumstances of the alleged spiking event.
A virtual hearing was held on 10 June 2025 for the wrestling cases, which were considered by a sole Arbitrator. The same Arbitrator was appointed to hear the weightlifting cases which were heard virtually on 26 and 27 August 2025.
All four appeals were upheld, and the Athletes are sanctioned with a 4-year period of ineligibility.
The wrestling decisions were issued with grounds. The CAS arbitrator carefully considered the alleged spiking scenario and found that the Tbilisi City Court Judgement lacked the factual investigation necessary to support the sabotage theory and was contradicted by scientific evidence. It is scientifically proven that ostarine is not soluble in water, which undermines the alleged method of administration. The Arbitrator concluded that the Athletes were unable to establish that the ADRVs were not intentional.
The CAS decisions for the weightlifting cases have been issued without grounds, which will be notified in due course.
This is an unofficial summary for media use. The CAS awards will be published on the CAS website in due course, unless Parties request confidentiality.
