Olympic champion Geno Petriashvili speaks out about bullying after joining ruling party’s election list

Olympic champion and 10th candidate on the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) electoral list, Geno Petriashvili, revealed that he has been subjected to bullying since being named on the party’s list, particularly highlighting the negative messages his family members have received.

“It’s unpleasant to see the negative messages my family members are getting,” Petriashvili stated, adding that certain groups are behind the bullying campaign.

“We are all fellow citizens and friends, so we forgive them and don’t take it personally. However, receiving such negative messages and texts isn’t right—it’s unpleasant. But we don’t dwell on it and choose to ignore it,” he added.

On Tuesday, GD announced its election list, which included Georgian weightlifting champion Lasha Talakhadze and wrestler Geno Petriashvili as candidates. This sparked criticism from both the public and opposition groups.