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Merab Sharikadze, former captain of Georgia's rugby team, has been banned for 11 years due to his involvement in a doping scheme. This follows a joint investigation by World Rugby and WADA that uncovered multiple instances of sample substitution.
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Merab Sharikadze has been given a long ban (Getty)
Former Georgia rugby captain Merab Sharikadze has been given an 11-year ban for his involvement in an “orchestrated scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution”.
Six internationals were charged in March following a joint investigation by World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) dubbed “Operation Obsidian”, which found five instances where players allegedly swapped urine samples to avoid detection. Employees of Georgia's national anti-doping agency also tipped off players about upcoming tests, Wada said.
Sanctions have now been levied against the players involved and team doctor Nutsa Shamatava, who has received a nine-year suspension from the game.
Sharikadze, who won 104 caps and led Georgia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, received the longest ban of the players, having previously admitted his involvement as he sought to move into mixed martial arts.
“My sample, so to say, was used instead of other players’ samples,” Sharikadze told Setanta Sports Georgia last year.
Giorgi Chkoidze (six years), Lasha Khmaladze (three years), Otar Lashkhi (three years), Miriani Modebadze (three years) and Lasha Lomidze (nine months) are the other Georgia internationals to be banned.
"The investigation was triggered when irregularities in urine samples were identified by World Rugby's athlete passport management programme, covering an extended period of time prior to the men's Rugby World Cup 2023 in France," World Rugby said.
Georgia finished bottom of their pool at the 2023 Rugby World Cup without a victory.
Merab Sharikadze was banned for 11 years for participating in an orchestrated doping scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution.
Operation Obsidian is a joint investigation by World Rugby and WADA that revealed players, including Sharikadze, swapped urine samples to evade doping tests.
Alongside Sharikadze, five other players and team doctor Nutsa Shamatava, who received a nine-year suspension, were sanctioned as part of the doping investigation.
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