OC Media

OC Media

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

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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…]

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

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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.

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Rugby with no rules — Easter in Guria

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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.
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Caucasian gladiators

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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.

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