Chidaoba World Championship in Georgia: dates, meaning and how to experience it

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy

What it is

Chidaoba (ჭიდაობა) takes its name from the Georgian verb “ch’ideva,” to grapple or to wrestle; the noun describes both the sport and the occasion on which it is performed. It is Georgia’s indigenous form of folk wrestling, distinct from the Olympic freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines in which Georgian athletes have also excelled, and it is practiced and watched across the country regardless of region, generation or background. Matches are traditionally held outdoors, at village festivals, church-day gatherings and, in modern form, as organized sporting competitions in cities.

The Chidaoba World Championship is the contemporary, international expression of this older tradition: a final tournament staged in Tbilisi that brings together Georgian wrestlers and practitioners from the diaspora and from abroad who have taken up the sport. It sits at the meeting point of living village custom and organized modern sport, and it is this combination — a centuries-old wrestling style formalized into a world championship — that distinguishes the event from a purely historical reenactment or a purely modern tournament.

Historical background

• Antiquity — Wrestling-like contests are widely believed by Georgian historians and ethnographers to have been practiced in the Caucasus since prehistoric times, a claim supported by artistic depictions of grappling figures from the ancient Colchian and Iberian periods held in Georgian museum collections.
• Medieval period — Georgian chronicles and travelers’ accounts describe wrestling contests held alongside horse racing, archery and other feats of strength at royal and princely courts and at village festivals, as part of broader displays of martial skill.
• 18th–19th centuries — Chidaoba became a fixture of rural fairs (bazroba) and church-feast gatherings across Georgia’s regions, with recognized local champions, informal rules and accompanying music that are still recognizable today.
• Early 20th century — Georgian wrestlers trained in the chidaoba tradition moved into international freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, contributing to Georgia’s long-standing strength in Olympic wrestling.
• Soviet era — Chidaoba continued as a folk and amateur sport alongside state-organized Olympic-style wrestling, kept alive largely through village and regional tournaments rather than formal international competition.
• Late 20th–early 21st century — Georgian sporting federations and cultural institutions began documenting chidaoba’s rules, costume and music more systematically, supporting its recognition as intangible cultural heritage.
• 2018 — Chidaoba was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, formally recognizing the wrestling tradition as a living element of Georgian culture.
• Present — Chidaoba tournaments are held throughout the year in towns and villages, with a world championship final staged in Tbilisi each autumn drawing wrestlers from Georgia and abroad.

The deep roots of chidaoba are inseparable from Georgia’s rural calendar: contests traditionally followed the harvest, church feast days and village fairs, when communities gathered and young men demonstrated strength and skill before their neighbors. Unlike codified Olympic wrestling, chidaoba developed with regional variations in technique, belt-hold rules and costume, so that a match in Kartli could look somewhat different from one in Racha or Kakheti, even as the underlying grammar of throws and holds remained shared.

The 2018 UNESCO inscription did not invent a new event; it recognized a practice that communities had sustained for generations through oral transmission from older wrestlers to younger ones, usually without written manuals. The modern World Championship format — a final competition in the capital, following qualifying rounds or invitations from regional clubs and diaspora communities — is a relatively recent institutional layer placed over this older, decentralized tradition, intended to give it a visible international stage while the village-level practice continues largely unchanged.

Meaning and traditions

A chidaoba match takes place on open ground or a sawdust-covered pit rather than a padded mat, with two wrestlers (generally referred to in Georgian simply as mebrdzoli, “fighters”) gripping each other by a short jacket and belt. A bout is won when a wrestler throws the opponent so that any part of the body other than the feet touches the ground; the bout is overseen by a referee, msajuli, whose rulings on fair grips and clean falls are final. Matches are brief and intense, often lasting only seconds to a few minutes, and a tournament typically proceeds through elimination rounds until a single champion remains.

Music is inseparable from chidaoba: the zurna, a reed wind instrument, and the doli, a hand drum, are played live at the ringside, their rhythm rising as a match reaches its climax and often continuing as the victor is carried or paraded before the crowd. Spectators call out encouragement, and winners are traditionally celebrated with toasts at a shared table, or supra, after the day’s bouts are finished. Regional variations persist in how matches are judged and in the style of belt-hold permitted, and some areas preserve distinct local terms for holds and throws passed down within wrestling families.

When it happens

There is no single fixed calendar date for the Chidaoba World Championship. It is organized in autumn, generally in the second half of October, with the exact date set by the organizing federation and Tbilisi event organizers a few months in advance, after accounting for other sporting and cultural events in the capital. The 2027 edition is provisionally scheduled for 30 October 2027, subject to final confirmation; travelers planning a visit around this date should check with Tbilisi City Hall or the national tourism authority closer to the event for the confirmed program. The championship is a sporting and cultural event rather than a state public holiday, so it does not affect the opening hours of shops, offices or transport.

Where to experience it

The World Championship final is held in Tbilisi, typically in an open-air venue or sports arena large enough to accommodate both the wrestling pit and spectators standing or seated around it; past city-organized chidaoba events have used public parks and central squares as well as indoor sports halls. Outside the capital, village-level chidaoba can be seen at harvest festivals and church-feast gatherings in rural Kartli, Kakheti, Racha and other regions, usually announced locally rather than nationally. Visitors attending any chidaoba event should dress modestly and comfortably for standing outdoors, follow the lead of local spectators regarding applause and silence during bouts, and ask before photographing individual wrestlers up close, particularly during pre-match preparation.

Did you know

• Chidaoba was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018.
• Matches are traditionally decided the moment any part of the body other than the feet touches the ground, making bouts often extremely short.
• Live zurna and doli music accompanies matches, with the tempo building as a bout nears its decisive throw.
• According to a popular account among wrestling historians, the short canvas jacket used in chidaoba influenced the design of jackets worn in other grappling sports developed later outside Georgia, though this claim is debated.
• Georgia’s strength in Olympic freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling is often traced by Georgian sports historians to the deep village tradition of chidaoba.

Practical tips for visitors

Tbilisi is reached by Tbilisi International Airport, with onward travel to any central venue easily arranged by taxi or the city’s metro and bus network. Autumn weather in Tbilisi is mild by day and cool after dark, so a light jacket is advisable for an evening final. Confirm the exact date and venue close to the event through the city or national tourism authority, as both can shift from year to year, and arrive early if the final is held outdoors, since standing room near the pit fills quickly. GTour arranges a private driver or guide for the day for visitors who want background on the sport and help navigating the venue.

Combine it with

A visit timed around the Chidaoba World Championship pairs well with a day trip into Kartli, where rural wrestling traditions remain strong, or further afield to Kakheti for its autumn harvest festivals, which share the same seasonal rhythm as village chidaoba. Travelers extending their stay in the capital can also explore Tbilisi’s museums and old-town churches between sessions of the tournament.

Questions travellers ask

Is the Chidaoba World Championship a public holiday in Georgia?

No. It is a sporting and cultural event, not a state holiday, so businesses, offices and transport operate on their normal schedule on the day.

Do I need a ticket to watch the final?

Requirements vary by year and venue; some editions have been free and open-air, while others held in enclosed arenas may require tickets. Checking with the organizers or a local guide close to the date is recommended.

Can women compete in or watch chidaoba?

Traditional chidaoba competition has historically been a male sport, though women and children attend as spectators in large numbers, and women’s and youth wrestling programs exist separately within Georgian sport more broadly.

What should I wear to watch a match?

Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing is sufficient; there is no formal dress code for spectators, though modest dress is appreciated if the event takes place near a church feast gathering.

How long does a chidaoba match last?

Individual bouts are often very short, sometimes decided within seconds of a clean throw, though a full tournament with many elimination rounds can last several hours.

Is chidaoba related to judo or sambo?

It is a distinct, older Georgian wrestling tradition with its own costume, rules and music; any historical influence on other grappling sports developed later is a matter of debated tradition rather than settled record.

Where else in Georgia can I see traditional wrestling outside the World Championship?

Village and regional chidaoba matches take place at harvest festivals and church-feast days throughout the year in rural areas, particularly in Kartli, Kakheti and Racha, usually announced locally.

Is the exact 2026 date available now?

As of this writing, the organizers had not yet published a confirmed 2026 date; the 2027 edition is provisionally set for 30 October 2027, pending final confirmation closer to the event.

Sources

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists
• Georgia National Tourism Administration
• Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia
• Tbilisi City Hall
• Georgia Today
• Agenda.ge
• Georgian National Museum