Former Georgia captain Merab Sharikadze has been banned from sport for 11 years after admitting to providing clean urine to teammates as part of an elaborate anti-doping cheating scheme. The hooker, who led Georgia to a famous victory over Wales in Cardiff in 2022, confessed to his role in the plot that extended across the national team.

A World Anti-Doping Agency investigation revealed Georgia's national testing authority would alert team doctor Nutsa Shamatava about forthcoming tests, who then shared the information via a team group chat. World Rugby flagged anomalies in samples before the 2023 Rugby World Cup, supplying historical samples that showed five instances of sample substitution dating back to 2019. The governing body believes the scheme was designed to conceal recreational drug use.

Hooker Giorgi Chkoidze received a six-year ban, while Lasha Khmaladze, Otar Lashkhi and Miriani Modebadze were suspended for three years each. Sharikadze ended his rugby career shortly after the scandal emerged, aged 30, and transitioned to MMA, winning his debut bout in November 2025.