Daur Akhvlediani


Daur Akhvlediani was an Abkhaz professional football player. He took part in the War in Abkhazia, subsequently died and was posthumously awarded the order Hero of Abkhazia, the highest honorary title of the disputed territory of Abkhazia.

Life and career

Daur Akhvlediani was born in Gagra, Georgia, which at that time was part of the Soviet Union. He started as a professional footballer in 1983, being drafted by FC Torpedo Kutaisi. The following year, he joined FC Dinamo Sukhumi, at that time playing in the Soviet Second League. He stayed at Dinamo until 1991 and became a permanent member of the regular team. In 1989, Dinamo was finally relegated to the Soviet First League. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its football leagues, Akhvlediani joined Russian club Uralan Elista. In 1993, he left his club to take part in the Abkhaz-Georgian conflict where he was killed the same year, shortly before fighting ended.
He was posthumously awarded the order Hero of Abkhazia by the de facto government. In his hometown of Gagra, the Daur Akhvlediani Stadium is named after him.