Georgia national teams
- Thread starter slovakhockeyfan12
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ozo
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- Feb 24, 2010
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Do you have a link for this? Without knowing whether this is actually true, my guess is they broke IIHF eligibility rules because their roster was full of random Russians.
DisgruntledHawkFan
Blackhawk Down
I've always wondered how the incentives line up in these cases. Like, Georgian hockey can't really be paying these guys that much, right? And it's not like the Russian players have any inherent desire to represent another country.
SoundAndFury
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- May 28, 2012
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Many Russians move to Georgia for obvious reasons. They continue to play hockey, much better than the locals. They are asked to play for Georgian NT, so, why not? It's fun: you travel to another country for the WC, get to spend time in at least a semi-competitive environment, etc. It's like a vacation that is paid for. I don't think they get anything at all in terms of money.
theslatcher
Registered User
Glancing at EP if the gaps present in their careers were spent playing in Georgia the only ones who might have not been able to represent Georgia is the Lyalins (neither played a game).
ZDH
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- Mar 6, 2008
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Imma call my boys in Atlanta and get to the bottom of this.
theslatcher
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SoundAndFury
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Cardiac Jerks
Asinine & immoral
Plenty of athletes change nations so they are able to compete at the world level.
Freestyle wrestling in Russia is a great example. They are a world superpower who, in most any year, could send a number of people to worlds who could win or at least medal. They are so deep many guys are capable of podium finishes but can’t even compete on the world stage as they are caught behind the #1 in their country.
There was one year I remember the 74kg weight class had 7 Russians in it. 1 representing Russia and 6 competing for other nations.
SoundAndFury
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Except in this case we are talking about "world level" where even semi-pro players are superstars.
Cardiac Jerks
Asinine & immoral
They’re still getting to play at the world level even though it’s a lower division. They’re clearly not suiting up for Russia any time soon.
Cardiac Jerks
Asinine & immoral
Are they competing internationally or not?
It’s not the top level but it’s still international competition and an opportunity they wouldn’t get for Russia, hence playing for another nation.
Well i guess this article won't age well anymore .
www.iihf.com
IIHF - Georgian hockey making strides
Georgia has moved up three rungs on the ladder and debuted in Division II Group A this year in Madrid, Spain.
Heard back, and he said they can't confirm anything yet. Though seeing how this happened in 2016, I'm sure it's due to ineligible players again.
