Outside football, many Abkhazian sportsmen participate in international competitions as Russian citizens, especially in boxing and freestyle wrestling.
The main club of the republic, FC Dinamo Sukhumi, played mostly in the lower leagues of Soviet football.
Natives of Abkhazia Vitaly Daraselia, Nikita (Mkrtych) Simonian, Avtandil Gogoberidze, Niyazbey Dzyapshipa, Giorgi Gavasheli, Temuri Ketsbaia and Akhrik Tsveiba were among the most prominent footballers of the Soviet Union.
Dinamo Sukhumi achieved their best result in 1991 finishing in 10th place in the first league (second tier of Soviet football).
[4] The Abkhazian team will probably participate in the Amateur League of the Southern Federal District (fourth tier of Russian football pyramid).