Georgia rugby rocked by major ‘orchestrated’ doping scandal

Six Georgia men’s rugby internationals and a member of the team’s support staff have been charged and sanctioned following a major anti-doping investigation, after a joint probe by World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) uncovered what has been described as “an orchestrated scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution”.

Key points:

• Six players and one support staff member charged and sanctioned for anti-doping rule violations
• Five confirmed instances of sample substitution; violations relate to recreational drugs, not performance-enhancing substances
• Scheme dubbed ‘Operation Obsidian’ — investigation launched by World Rugby in August 2023
• WADA uncovers collusion between the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency (GADA) and a team support member who tipped off players in advance of testing
• Five players already sanctioned and currently in the appeals process; sixth player suspended pending outcome
• WADA declares loss of confidence in GADA; reviews of Georgian athletes across other sports now underway
• Georgia finished bottom of Pool C at the 2023 Rugby World Cup without a win; no suggestion the tournament was compromised

The investigation, codenamed ‘Operation Obsidian’ by WADA, was triggered when World Rugby’s athlete biological passport programme identified irregularities in urine samples across “an extended period of time prior to the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 in France”. World Rugby immediately alerted WADA, and the two bodies conducted extensive parallel investigations featuring targeted player testing, DNA analysis, and cross-referencing against historical samples held in World Rugby’s long-term storage programme.

Five of the six players have been found guilty of sample substitution — swapping urine samples to conceal the presence of recreational drugs — while a sixth player has been charged and suspended pending completion of the disciplinary process. Five of those sanctioned are currently in the appeals process. The violations do not involve performance-enhancing substances, and there is no indication that the Rugby World Cup itself was compromised.

“Six players and a member of team support personnel have been charged and sanctioned in relation to an orchestrated scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution,” World Rugby said in a statement.

What makes the scandal particularly serious is the alleged institutional involvement. WADA’s investigation found that employees of the Georgian Anti-Doping Agency (GADA) colluded with a team “Entourage Member” to forewarn players of upcoming testing. According to WADA’s report, the manager at GADA who received test requests from World Rugby had established a practice of providing advance notice of scheduled testing missions — typically delivered by text message. That individual then passed the information on to players and staff via a group chat.

The probe also found that GADA doping control officers were not properly observing athletes after notification and were not witnessing urine collection — clear violations of international testing protocols. In two separate instances, testing missions were carried out a day earlier than the date requested by World Rugby, with paperwork altered to show the original date. In one case, false documentation was provided to justify why a requested player could not be tested at all.

“What has been happening in Georgian rugby is outrageous and will send shockwaves through Georgian sport and government, as well as the global game of rugby,” said WADA president Witold Banka.

The individuals involved — referred to in the WADA report only as Manager One, Manager Two, DCO One, DCO Two and two chaperones — were identified based on their documented presence at doping controls when substitutions occurred. Two managers and one doping control officer denied the allegations when confronted. The named players have not been publicly identified, as the full disciplinary process has yet to conclude.

Georgia, currently ranked 13th in the world with a highest ever ranking of 11th, have been the dominant force in European second-tier rugby, winning the Rugby Europe Championship every year since 2018. The scandal represents a significant blow to a nation working hard to establish itself among the elite of the global game.

WADA has formally declared a loss of confidence in GADA and announced that samples from Georgian athletes in other sports are now under review. Banka warned that “wholesale changes must now be made by the relevant authorities”, adding that further investigation is now going on deeper into Georgian sport.

World Rugby stated that it takes “all anti-doping matters extremely seriously” and is “an unwavering champion of clean sport”, adding that it is currently unable to comment further until the full disciplinary process has been completed and all outcomes and sanctions formally published.