Georgian national rugby team supports HeForShe at the rugby Europe championship

On March 12, at the Tbilisi Dinamo Arena, the national rugby teams of Georgia and Russia have once again expressed their support to the UN Women’s solidarity movement for gender equality - HeForShe and devoted the match to this campaign.

The Georgia and Russia national rugby teams have played an important match in the framework of Rugby Europe Championship. The match was attended by over 52,000 Rugby fans. Milton Heig, Chief Coach of the Georgian National Rugby Team, who always supports and is engaged in UN Women’s activities devoted to the cause of ending violence against women and girls and supporting gender equality, together with the team captain Mamuka Gorgodze, appeared at the pre-match press conference in HeForShe branded t-shirts. “Today, all of us - the Lelos, coaches and team’s staff are wearing t-shirts in support of the campaign aimed at men’s engagement in achieving gender equality. This is to demonstrate that four years ago, as well as now, we - the Lelos, the coaches, the team’s staff and the Georgian Rugby Union stand beside and support this campaign”.

Georgian rugby players have a long-standing partnership with UN Women in the framework of the UN Joint programme “For Gender Equality” (funded by the Government of Sweden and implemented by UNDP, UN Women and UNFPA). This cooperation is aimed at increasing men’s engagement in the fight against violence against women and girls. The rugby team Lelos, have devoted several international matches to this cause under the aegis of the UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign as well as the UN Women’s solidarity movement for gender equality – HeForShe. In addition, the Lelos travel throughout Georgia to meet with local men and boys and speak to them about the inadmissibility of violence against women and girls.