The 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in the capital of the Republic of Mauritius, in Port Louis (26 November - 1 December) decided to inscribe the nomination submitted by Georgia "Chidaoba, wrestling in Georgia" on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The main objective of the nomination, which was submitted to UNESCO for consideration in 2017, is to present wrestling in Georgia as a symbol of cultural diversity and tolerance and the foundation of Georgia's cultural unity.
"Chidaoba, wrestling in Georgia" is the fourth nomination to be inscribed on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and thus joins the three other Georgian elements already on the List: Georgian Polyphonic Singing (2001), The Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method (2013), The living culture of the three writing systems of the Georgian alphabet (2016).
The Georgian delegation taking part in the work of the Committee was composed by Mrs. Ketevan Kandelaki, Director of the Department for Cultural and Humanitarian Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Secretary General of the Georgian National Commission for UNESCO, Mr. Nikoloz Antidze, General Director of the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia and Mr. Gela Berouashvili, President of the Georgian Wrestling Federation.