Best sportsmen of 2016 nominated
By Messenger Staff
Friday, December 30
Georgia’s Football Federation (GFF) has named footballer Tornike Okriashvili as the best football player of 2016. The Georgian Football Federation held the award ceremony at the Rooms Hotel Tbilisi.
Other nominees for the title were Guram Kashia, Jano Ananidze and Vako Gvilia.
Other awards were distributed as follows:
Best young player - Otar Kiteishvili
Best referee - Giorgi Vadachkoria
Best coach - Gia Tsetsadze
Best goal - Nika Maisuradze
Best player of Women’s National Championship - Lana Giorgadze
Best player of the championship - Budu Zivzivadze
Best female player - Gulnara Gabelia
Top scorer in the 2015-16 season - Giorgi Kvilitaia
Best players of the transition championship - Budu Zivzivadze and Nino Chuchulashvili .
Moreover, the annual Sport Awards of the Year ceremony held three days ago honoured Olympic and European champion weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze as the country's 2016 Best Sportsperson.
He received the title for his achievements on the domestic and international arenas.
The 22-year old weightlifter claimed Georgia's first gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August, setting a new world record for the clean and jerk discipline in the process.
Earlier in the year, Talakhadze also became the European champion as he lifted the continental record 212kg in the snatch discipline in Norway.
In addition, the young athlete took the European Under-23 Champion title earlier this month in Eilat, Israel and won Georgia's domestic championship.
The occasion handed out prizes in nine principal nominations in addition to seven special awards.
