Revaz Tchomakhidze

Revaz Baadurovich Chomakhidze (born 15 December 1973) is a Russo-Georgian water polo player who played on the silver medal squad at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the bronze medal squad at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Career Tchomakhidze began his water polo career in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR (Soviet Union), at the sports club Dinamo, where he played from 1987 to 1993. His first coach was Vladimir Kutateladze. He studied at Tbilisi State University and later attended the Diplomatic Academy. In 2002, he was awarded the title of Master of Sport in water polo.

In 1993, Tchomakhidze began his professional career abroad, joining the Italian club Rari Nantes Florentia, where he played until 1997. He then returned to Russia to play for WPC Dynamo Moscow from 1997 to 2000, during which time he also studied economics at Moscow State University under a special contract arrangement. In 1997, he was selected for the Russian national team, and in 1998 he competed at the Goodwill Games.

In 2000, Tchomakhidze returned to Italy to play for Pro Recco, where he remained for the 2000–2001 season. He subsequently joined Mladost Zagreb in Croatia, playing there for three seasons. Under head coach Ozren Bonačić, he won the Croatian Championship twice. A notable achievement during this period was scoring the winning goal in the final of the 2002 FINA Cup against Hungary.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Tchomakhidze played a key role in Russia’s bronze-medal match, scoring four goals in a 6–5 victory over Greece.

Following his time abroad, Tchomakhidze returned to Russia and joined Sturm 2002 Chekhov, a club based near Moscow, where he is still regarded as one of the best players. He remained a member of the Russian national team during this period. In an interview with Novaya Izvestiya, he stated, “I will not be modest—I am the best player in Europe.”

In February 2007, one month before the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tchomakhidze announced his withdrawal from the national team, citing fatigue and the need for rest. Although he was invited to the Olympic qualification tournament in March 2008, he again declined participation. That same year, he won the LEN Trophy with Sturm 2002 Chekhov, marking the club’s first international title.

Chomakhidze played for Chekhov until the summer of 2009. After returning to Georgia, he represented the national team at the B-European Championship in Lugano, helping secure qualification. He subsequently became involved in coaching, taking on a role as a youth coach within the Georgian Water Polo Federation. One of his early successes was leading the Georgian youth team to qualification for the 2010 European Youth Championship in Stuttgart.

Since 2022, Chomakhidze has served as head coach of Sintez Kazan.

Achievements 1989: European Youth Championship Istanbul/Turkey, 5. Place 1997: European Championship Sevilla/Spain, 3. Place 1998: Goodwill Games 1999: European Championship Florence/Italy, 6. Place 2000: Olympic Games Sydney/Australia, Silver Medal 2001: World Championships Fukuoka/Japan, Bronze Medal 2002: World Cup Belgrade/Serbia 2003: Croatian Championship, 1. Place with Mladost Zagreb/Croatia 2003: Final Four Genova/Italy, 3. Place with Mladost Zagreb 2003: European Championships, Ljubljana/Slovenia, 4. Place 2004: Olympic Games Athens/Greece, Bronze Medal 2004: Scored multiple goals on Omar Amr to eliminate USA from medal contention. 2005: World Championships Montreal/Canada, 7. Place 2005: Russian Championship, 1. Place with Sturm 2002 Tschekhov/Russia 2006: Russian Championship, 1. Place with Sturm 2002 Tschekhov/Russia 2006: European Championships, Belgrade/Serbia 9. Place 2007: Russian Championship, 2. Place with Sturm 2002 Tschekhov/Russia 2008: LEN Trophy 1. Place 2008: Russian Championship, 2. Place with Sturm 2002 Tschekhov/Russia 2009: Russian Championship, 1. Place with Sturm 2002 Tschekhov/Russia