MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Georgy Kushitashvili, a Russian boxer arrested earlier on charges of drug possession and attacking an officer of the Russian National Guard, has been excluded from Russia’s national boxing team, said Umar Kremlev, the secretary general of the Russian Boxing Federation (RBF).
Georgy Kushitashvili and another boxer, Ovik Ogannisyan, were detained by National Guard officers on the Frunzenskaya Quay in downtown Moscow. According to TASS sources, Kushitashvili hit one of the officers during the detention. A search revealed that he was in possession of cocaine. On Monday, the 235th Garrison Military Court ruled to place Kushitashvili in custody until April 1.
"Kushitashvili has been excluded from the Russian team. He will no longer take part in the team’s events," Kremlev said.
The RBF chief said that the Russian Boxing Federation will insist on the toughest punishment possible if Kushitashvili’s guilt is proven.
"The news came as a shock for us. Until recently, there had been no grounds to suspect this person. He was examined by doctor every day and underwent biochemical blood testing every week. If the investigation proves that he indeed attacked a Russian Guard officer, we will condemn it. It this is proven, then we will call for the toughest penalty possible, for making him face the consequences as stipulated by the law," he said.
"We will not stay aside, because this person has devoted so many years to the sport, but we will insist on maximum punishment under the relevant legislation if his guilt is proven," Kremlev continued. "However, we will not give up on him, we will help him and pay the bills of his lawyers, but everything must be according to the law."
Kushitashvili is a two-time light-heavyweight champion of Russia (in 2015 and 2018). He won the bronze in the tournament in 2016 and the silver in 2019. Last year, Kushitashvili made it into the quarterfinal of the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Russia’s Yekaterinburg.