Georgia
| Georgia | |
 | |
| Continent | Eurasia |
| Population | 4,469,200 |
| Registered players | 207 |
| Referees | 4 |
| Rinks | 3 |
| National teams | Men's |
| National federation | Georgian Ice Hockey Federation |
| IIHF since | May 8, 2009 |
| IIHF ranking | N/A |
| Top league | Georgian Ice Hockey League |
| Current champion | Bakurianis Mimino |
Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Tbilisi is the capital and largest city. Georgia was part of the Soviet Union until 1991.
Overview
National Teams
Domestic Teams
See Category:Ice hockey teams in Georgia
Arenas
See Category:Arenas in Georgia
Competitions
| Competition | Founded | Folded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgian Ice Hockey League | 2007 | - | Top-level national competition |
History of hockey in Georgia
When the country was part of the Soviet Union, the Georgian SSR Championship was staged from 1982 to 1986. Hockey then died out and was not revived again until 2007.[1]
The Georgian Ice Hockey League was first held during the 2007-08 season, with Rukhi Mglebi (Tblissi Grey Wolves) winning the championship. The league was not played from 2008-2010, but was restarted for the 2011-12 season. The Ice Knights Tbilisi were league champions in 2012 and 2013, while the Grey Wolves Tbilisi and Bakurianis Mimino claimed the 2014 and 2015 championships.
The Georgian Ice Hockey Federation is the governing body for ice hockey in the country. Georgia joined the IIHF on May 8, 2009.[2]
The Georgian National Team, representing the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, first participated in the 1962 Soviet Winter Spartakiad, held in Sverdlovsk. Their first game was a 31-0 defeat against Leningrad. They subsequently lost to the Lithuanian SSR 10-2 and 7-2, the Kazakh SSR 11-3, the Kirghiz SSR 1-0, the Estonian SSR 11-1, and the Latvian SSR 13-0. The team's only positive result was an 11-2 win over the Armenian SSR.[3]
The national team did not play in an international game again until April 2010, when they played friendly games against South Africa and Armenia in Yerevan. The Georgians lost both games - 8-1 to South Africa and 22-1 to Armenia. In 2012, Georgia made its debut in the World Championship program, competing in the 2013 Division III Qualification tournament being held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. They lost all three games en route to a last place finish and failed to qualify for the tournament.
Georgia played in the 2014 Division III tournament, losing all five games. They enjoyed more success in 2015, recording a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and a 5-4 shootout victory against the United Arab Emirates. This was good enough for a fifth place finish out of seven teams.
