Georgia set to officially announce participation at Sochi 2014 after boycott threat dropped

By Duncan Mackay

November 19 - Georgia's new Government is set to officially announce this week that the country should send a team to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. 

The threat of a boycott from Russia's neighbours had been hanging over the Games for more than two years after President Mikheil Saakashvili called for Georgia to stay away from Sochi 2014 in the wake of the war between them and Russia four years ago.

Georgian-Russian relations have been tense since Moscow recognised the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia after the brief Georgian-Russian conflict in August 2008.

Sochi is less than 10 miles away from the border of the Abkhazia region.

Hardliner Saakashvili was defeated in last month's election by a Georgian Dream Coalition led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has vowed to repair the country's relationship with Russia, including participating in the Olympics.


Their attendance is now set to be officially confirmed.

"The question of participating in the Olympic Games is under consideration," said Zurab Abashidze, Georgia's temporary envoy to Russia.