He began his sports career as a basketball player and led the junior national team of Georgian SSR to the USSR Championship in 1945.
World Rally Championship | World Championship | NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship | Ultimate Fighting Championship | World Championship Wrestling | World Touring Car Championship | Six Nations Championship | County Championship | British Touring Car Championship | World Chess Championship | national championship | All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship | Football League Championship | Extreme Championship Wrestling | Bowl Championship Series | Championship | All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | 2005 World Touring Car Championship season | The Open Championship | World Sportscar Championship | 2010 FIBA World Championship | IMSA GT Championship | European Touring Car Championship | European Championship | World Snooker Championship | PGA Championship | 2010 IIHF World Championship | World Colored Heavyweight Championship | Speedway World Championship | championship |
However, these notable early achievements were soon to be surpassed when he became joint winner of the 1990 USSR Championship (with Beliavsky, Bareev and Vyzmanavin, the title going to Beliavsky on tie-break).