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Why Shota Khabareli Was Fired?

September 24, 2009

Best trainer of Europe for 2006 was dismissed from Georgian judo federation

Ana Sheshaberidze

Since September 11 Amiran Totikashvili has been chief trainer of the judo national team instead Shota Khabareli.

There are several officially stated reasons for Khabareli’s dismissal. According to one of them Khabareli was fired because of his “incorrect” political opinion though it is not officially confirmed. Khabareli does not confirm or deny this version. He openly speaks about his controversy with Dilar Khabuliani, president of the federation who is member of the National Movement, the ruling party. There is lobby information that Khabareli refused members of the National Movement to join the ruling party and did not make statements in their favor during the rallies in April. There is doubt that Khabuliani got annoyed with the trainer after his refusal; finally time passed and Khabareli was fired.

Dilar Khabuliani said the reason of Khabareli’s dismissal was poor results of Georgian wrestlers in Europe and World Championships and Olympic Games too. Indeed, in the history of Georgian Judo Federation wrestlers had the worst results in the World Championship in Rotterdam. They did not bring any single medals and it became reason for Khabareli’s resignation.

“The only reason is recent negative results of our national team. The team members failed in the World and Europe Championships. We won only one medal out of promised seven in Olympic Games. It is nonsense to speak about personal discontent; I had no personal discontent with him; just the opposite I asked him during the committee session whether he had any complaints but he refused,” said Dilar Khabuliani.

Khabareli said he was resigned because of personal disagreement. “It was personal revenge and Europe and World Championships were sacrificed to it. We cannot speak about results because there was no competition in judo which we have not won. And tourist trainers, like Khabuliani called me, cannot do it,” said former trainer.

Khabuliani introduced new chief trainer Amiran Totikashvili to journalists on September 16 and signed labor agreement with him in the presence of media. Totikashvili is a famous wrestler, world champion and holder of bronze medal of Olympic Games (it must be pointed out that Totikashvili won all his medals under Khabareli’s training). Together with Totikashvili Khabuliani introduced chief trainers of adult and youth teams; they are Ramaz Chochishvili and Soso Liparteliani who were recommended by the new chief trainer. They will be Totikashvili’s assistants.

Khabuliani paid particular attention to the rule of appointing the chief trainer. The point is that executive committee of the federation had not discussed the dismissal of Khabareli and employing Totikashvili in his place. Khabuliani said the president of the federation had right to appoint the trainer based on his personal decision. He simply introduced the candidate to the executive committee.

Khabareli assessed the statement of the president as absurd. “If it is so, why does the federation have executive committee, what are their function?”

One more interesting fact is that Khabuliani offered new position to Shota Khabareli after resignation. He offered to be a curator of the youth team of judo. Khabuliani said former chief trainer can occupy any position in the federation and he can continue his activities as a trainer of young wrestlers. Khabareli declined his offer; he said he would never agree to work under current administration of the federation and demands to fix interim elections of the federation’s president. Former chief trainer is sure that nobody will vote for Khabuliani in the new elections.

Indeed, sportsmen also have some questions with the administration of the federation. They request meeting with the president within one week.

Do we go back to the past?

“We must meet the president within one week. We will ask some questions to the federation. We are sorry about Shota Khabareli and finally everything shall be clarified. Otherwise, our training has no sense,” said wrestlers and if the situation gets worse they might hand in their kimonos.

It is not first dismissal of Khabareli. Khabuliani once resigned him from the position of the chief trainer in 1991. Khabareli occupied the position in 1996 again. He said Khabuliani always managed to discredit him whenever he had power.

Dilar Khabuliani was Minister of Internal Affairs during Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s government. During Shevardnadze’s government he was MP; during the first term of Saakashvili’s presidency he was Didgori district governor.

Shota Khabareli won championship of the Spartakiada VIII of the Soviet Union, as well as Europe Championship and XXII Olympic Games. He won silver and bronze medals in the Europe Championships. In 2006 he was declared to be the best trainer of Europe. He was decorated with the Medal of Honor for particular achievements. This list of his success demonstrates that Khabareli is one of the best specialists of judo not only in Georgia but in Europe too. So official reason of his resignation does not sound convincing enough.

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