Ex-Georgia rugby captain banned for 11 years for urine sample tampering

Former Georgia rugby captain Merab Sharikadze, a 32-year-old centre with over 100 caps, has been handed an 11-year ban by World Rugby for tampering with urine samples in the lead-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Five other Georgia players and a staff member, Dr Nutsa Shamatava, also received bans ranging from nine months to nine years for their involvement in the scheme. The investigation, conducted alongside WADA, determined the sample tampering was intended to conceal cannabis and tramadol use rather than mask performance-enhancing drugs.