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WADA–World Rugby Probe Confirms Doping Violations for Six Georgia Players

WADA says it has lost confidence in Georgia’s anti-doping agency following evidence of collusion with team staff.

World Rugby’s athlete passport management programme identified irregularities in urine samples of some players
A WADA logo is seen at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland, March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
Major doping probe nets six Georgia internationals
The World Anti-Doping Agency found that Georgian anti-doping authorities had helped members of the Georgian national rugby team evade testing

Overview

  • Five players were found guilty of sample substitution, a sixth was charged and suspended, and a support staff member also faces sanctions.
  • World Rugby’s athlete passport program flagged irregularities before the 2023 World Cup, prompting targeted tests and DNA checks on long‑stored samples.
  • WADA reports GADA personnel tipped off an entourage member about tests, with alerts shared to players via group chat.
  • Investigators cite failures to observe urine collection, falsified testing dates, false documentation, and implicate six GADA collection staff.
  • WADA has informed Georgia’s government, calls for wholesale reform at GADA, and says broader probes into Georgian sport are underway, while World Rugby sees no sign the 2023 World Cup was compromised.