While scheduled workouts will only begin over the weekend, most participants have arrived for a field study.
Two representatives from Latvia will participate in the championship – Ričards Dambergs from Kandava and Jānis Vaitkevics from Dobele municipality. This will be the third race for Jānis. Last year in Ireland he came sixth.
“In every soil, the plough has to be adjusted. I train in one field at home too, adjust, plough very well, then drive to another field - total horror turns out. Now, you see, in hockey we got to bronze, and we did very well in basketball at the world level. You also have to try to show something in ploughing,” Jānis said.
The championship will feature 47 participants from 24 countries. Canadians and New Zealanders have come to Latvia first. For Ian Woolley from New Zealand, this will be the 7th race, with his best result being the 3rd place.
“We're from the other side of the world. It took time to get here and make the necessary preparations. Ploughing is largely a mindfulness sport that requires enormous concentration. You have to concentrate three and a half hours a day, and at this time, the only tasl is to drive in straight lines back and forth so that all the furrows look the same,” Ian told Skrunda Television.
Latvia's turn to host the world ploughing championships was originally due in 2032, but the geopolitical situation did its own. Russia was expelled from the World Ploughing Organisation of the Arches due to aggression in Ukraine. Ireland hosted the championship in its place last year, but this year Latvia agreed to do so.
Aigars Laurinovičs, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Ploughing Organisation, said that preparations for the championship have taken place for nine months. Upeskalni AB has allocated approximately 120 hectares of land for all the necessary competitions.
