On November 19, 2023, a competition in mini-football named after Mikheil Marchilashvili, a fighter who died in the Abkhazian War, was held in the village of Vachnadziani, in which the teams from 6 different villages of the municipality participated. The event was organized by the City Hall of Gurjaani Municipality and with the support of the State Service of Veterans Affairs.
The winner of the memorial tournament became the team from Village Kalauri. The team of Vazisubani Village took the second place, and the team of Vachnadziani Village took the third place.
Tamaz Kalatozishvili, head of Kakheti Division of the Regional Management Department of the Service, handed special cups, medals and certificates of the State Service of Veterans Affairs to the winning teams of the championship.
Mikheil Marchilashvili was born on December 26, 1972, in the village of Vachnadziani. He was enrolled in “Shavnabada” battalion since the beginning of the hostilities in Abkhazia. He was killed on July 2, 1993, in Tamishi, during a clash with a Russian naval landing force. He is buried in his native village.
Mikheil Marchilashvili (posthumously) was awarded the Order of Vakhtang Gorgasali III Degree. The street has been named after him in Vachnadziani, where Mikheil Marchilashvili lived since 2018.
The Mikheil Marchilashvili memorial tournament in mini-football began in 2022 and will be held every year.
