Georgian basketball chief Dudu Dadiani was gunned down and killed today as he was entering the country's sports ministry building in Tbilisi.
Witnesses said an unidentified gunman approached Dadiani, 31, pulled out a handgun and shot him several times.
The former Georgian international, who served as both vice-president and executive director of the ex-Soviet republic's basketball federation, died on his way to hospital.
The shooting was the latest episode of crime against high-profile Georgian athletes and sports officials in recent years.
Georgian soccer federation president Merab Zhordania suffered serious head injuries in 1999 when he was attacked in his office in the same ministry building. His attackers have not been caught since Police launched their investigation.
Levan Kaladze, 21, younger brother of AC Milan winger Kakha Kaladze, was kidnapped in broad daylight in the Georgian capital on his way home from a medical school last May. He is still missing as kidnappers demand a large ransom from his family.