Georgia’s Figure Skating Rise: Olympic Team Medal Ambitions

Georgia’s Super Week in Figure Skating – Olympic Repeat Planned

Georgia is storming into the Olympic season with authority, fresh off hosting their first-ever ISU Challenger series event – the Trialeti Trophy. The home team delivered a stunning performance, securing 4 victories across 4 disciplines.

This wasn’t just hometown judging favoritism – this was a clear statement of intent for the Milan team event. The Georgian team has ambitious plans for the upcoming competition.

Federation President’s Bold Declaration

Earlier in 2024, Georgian Figure Skating Federation President Mariam Giorgobiani made the team’s objectives crystal clear:

“The team event in Beijing was extremely important for Georgia. It was a historic moment – our first qualification – so our goal then was simply to participate and perform well. Now the stakes are higher, and we’re hoping for more. God willing, all our leaders stay healthy, and we’ll do everything to provide them with what they need.”

Georgia’s Long Road to Team Event Qualification

While Olympic team tournaments have existed since 2014, Georgia only made their debut in Beijing 2022. Previously, the country simply couldn’t field a complete team.

In Sochi, only Elene Gedevanishvili represented Georgia. In Pyeongchang, only Morisi Kvitelashvili competed. The nation’s Olympic representation has historically been sparse – Vakhtang Murvanidze in 2002 and 2006, Elene Gedevanishvili in 2006, 2010, and 2014, and the ice dance pair Allison Reed/Otar Japaridze in 2010.

Before Beijing, Georgia’s best Olympic results were: 10th in women’s singles, 17th in men’s singles, and 22nd in ice dance. World Championships followed similar patterns, with European Championships and Challenger series medals being the primary achievements.

The Transfer Revolution: Building a Competitive Team

The landscape transformed dramatically through strategic transfers. Under the Georgian flag now compete:

• Morisi Kvitelashvili (since 2016/17 season)
• Georgy Reviya (since 2016/17 season)
• Maria Kazakova (since 2017/18 season)
• Alina Urushadze (since 2018/19 season)
• Anastasia Gubanova (since 2021/22 season)
• Karina Safina (competed with Luka Berulava in 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons)
• Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin (since 2023/24 season)

Homegrown talent has also matured, with Nika Egadze, Luka Berulava, and Irakli Maysuradze graduating to senior competition.

Beijing 2022: The Breakthrough

The previous situation prevented Georgia from both qualifying for the team event and contending as a top team. That’s why the 2022 Olympics, featuring a fully-staffed Georgian team, represented a massive breakthrough.

Georgia qualified for the team event for the first time but didn’t advance to the free program (top-5), tying with China on points. China received priority due to their pairs gold medal.

Consequently, Kvitelashvili, Gubanova, Safina/Berulava, and Kazakova/Reviya continued competition in individual events.

The Path to Olympic Medals

This time, Georgia has qualified for the team event again. The minimum goal now is to climb higher.

Across three Olympics, team event medals have only been won by Russia (gold 2014, silver 2018, bronze 2022), USA (bronze 2014, bronze 2018, silver 2022), and Canada (silver 2014, gold 2018). Japan claimed bronze in 2022.

The Georgian team’s dominant performance at the Trialeti Trophy demonstrates they’re building the depth and quality needed to challenge this established order. With strategic transfers paying dividends and homegrown talent developing, Georgia’s figure skating revolution appears to be hitting its stride at the perfect Olympic moment.

The question is no longer if Georgia can compete – but how high they can climb on the Olympic podium.