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In photos: Georgia’s champion-training DIY basement kickboxing gym

16 June 2017 by Lazar Mikov

Karajala Kick­box­ing Club (Lazar Mikov/OC Media)

Karajala Kick­box­ing Club is a training facility in Karajala, a small village near Tbilisi. The club is located in the house of trainer and owner Isvahan Aliyev, a pro­fes­sion­al kickboxer. Aliyev, and all of the members but one, are ethnic Azer­bai­ja­nis born in Georgia. Saying that the facility lacks equipment would be an under­state­ment — it has only one bench press and one punchbag — but despite this, Aliyev says that some of the children from the club are Georgian kick­box­ing champions. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Minorities, Top Tagged With: azerbaijani, georgia, kickboxing, minorities, sport

Socialisation through sports: how Ingush politicians used MMA as an optical illusion

31 May 2017 by Karim Zidan

Abukar Yandiyev awarded title by his father, Alikhan (M-1 Global)

Ingushetia remains one of Russia’s most troubled and impov­er­ished republics, one rattled by Islamic insur­gency, cor­rup­tion, and a sluggish economy. However, with the president’s indirect use of mixed martial arts to enhance his republic’s image, two brothers have emerged to spearhead the movement for the bet­ter­ment of Ingush society.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Society, Top Tagged With: ingushetia, mma, socialisation, sport, terrorism, yandiyev, yunus-bek yevkurov

Rugby with no rules — Easter in Guria

19 April 2017 by Mari Nikuradze

Lelo 2017, Shukhuti, Guria (Mari Nikuradze /OC Media)

Every Easter, people in Shukhuti, a small village in Guria, western Georgia, clash in the centre of the village over a heavy, 16–17 kg ball. This tradition, a kind of game of honor, is called Leloburti. Shukhuti is divided into two parts — Zemo (upper) and Kvemo (lower) Shukhuti — both of which field teams which clash every year.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Society Tagged With: easter, georgia, guria, lelo, rugby, sport, tradition

Caucasian gladiators

20 March 2017 by Kazbek Chanturiya

MMA fight in Grozny (sport_hall_colosseum/Instagram)

The North Caucasus is well known for its Olympic champion wrestlers. However, a move towards the more brutal ‘mixed martial arts’ is leading some to question why such a violent sport is being allowed and even encour­aged, whether or not it is com­pat­i­ble with local tra­di­tions, and if it is engen­der­ing violence.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Society, Top Tagged With: chechnya, daghestan, ingushetia, mma, ramzan kadyrov, sport, violence

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Editor’s pick

No defence in Chechnya: Oyub Titiyev and the grim future of human rights in Russia’s North Caucasus

No defence in Chechnya: Oyub Titiyev and the grim future of human rights in Russia’s North Caucasus

12 April 2018 By Open Democracy Russia

The prosecution of a Chechen human rights campaigner is a landmark step in the systematic elimination of civil society under Ramzan Kadyrov. … [Read More...]

Opinion & Analysis

As thousands rally for a ‘Velvet Revolution’ — Serzh Sargsyan is not yet relinquishing his grasp on power

As thousands rally for a ‘Velvet Revolution’ — Serzh Sargsyan is not yet relinquishing his grasp on power

19 April 2018 By Knar Khudoyan

Whatever the outcome of the protests, one thing seems clear, dis­con­tent against Sargsyan’s rule has become more pro­nounced than ever before.

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