It's been a week of changes for Latvian ice hockey representatives as the National Hockey League (NHL) team Toronto Maple Leafs signed defenceman Kristiāns Rubīns to a two-year contract, American Hockey League (AHL) team Bakersfield Condors signed defenceman Jānis Jaks to a one-year contract, while Continental Hockey League (KHL) team Vladivosok Admiral, who had just signed a one-year head coaching contract with Leonīdus Tambijevs, announced they're pulling out of the next season, according to press releases.
The Rīga Marathon has been postponed indefinitely, organizers said March 31.
A Latvian woman living in Vienna has reportedly managed to combine the twin virtues of exercise and social distancing by running 37 kilometers without leaving the confines of her apartment.
Rimi Riga Marathon organizers are dealing with the possible challenges presented by the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, and have announced the new marathon routes for the races on May 16 and 17 at a press conference on March 10.
The Latvian national swim team broke three national records and won 25 medals (10 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze), but placed 2nd behind Estonia at the Baltic States Swimming Championship in Rīga on March 7-8, according to the Swimming Federation of Latvia (LPF) on March 9.
The Latvian men's basketball team traveled to Bulgaria to play their national team in the EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers and suffered a 104:110 loss that organizers Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) called “Pure madness!” on February 24.
It was once again a historic week for Latvian women's and men's winter sports athletes in bobsleigh and biathlon, while luge athletes won medals in the singles, doubles and team categories.
Latvian winter athletes racked up the medals in world and European-level events in Sigulda and Sochi. After a six-year long wait, Latvian bobsleigh team also finally received their 2014 Olympic medals during a celebratory ceremony in Sigulda.
A special ceremony (which you can watch above) held in Sigulda February 15 saw justice finally done with the official awarding of Olympic gold medals to the Latvian bobsleigh team that should have been on the top rank of the Sochi Winter Olympic podium in 2014.
The Latvia bobsleigh teams piloted by both Oskars (Ķibermanis and Melbārdis) have had their first official training session before the combined European Championships and BMW International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Cup stage at the track in Sigulda from February 14-16, according to a Latvian Television broadcast on February 11.
“Rīga City Council’s Youth Cup 2020”, an international table tennis competition for young participants will be held from February 14 th to 16 th in Rīga, according to a release from the council.
It was a nail-biting sports weekend for Latvian athletes and their fans. The Latvian tennis team narrowly lost 2:3 to team USA, the face-off between two NBA teams with Latvian players ended with a one-point margin and Deniss Vasiļjevs won first place at The Nordics & Nordics Open 2020 figure skating championships, according to organizers.
Sigulda will host a BMW International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup stage for the second year in a row, but this year on February 15 the event will feature a presentation ceremony for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic medals awarded to Latvian bobsleigh athletes after the Russians were disqualified for doping, according to a Latvian Radio broadcast on February 6.
On February 3 Latvian basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis had the second most successful game of his NBA career, helping the Dallas Mavericks beat the Indiana Pacers 112:103, while fellow Latvian Dāvis Bertāns' team, the Washington Wizards, lost 117:125 against the Golden State Warriors, despite Bertāns' 19 points, and Latvian player Rodions Kurucs' Brooklyn Nets beat the Phoenix Suns 119:97, according to the NBA on February 4.
Latvian winter sports athletes had a busy weekend winning medals in Switzerland and Germany, meanwhile the men's floorball team qualifies for the World Floorball Championships and Latvia's tennis players move up in the rankings.
Skeleton athlete Martins Dukurs remained undefeated at the BMW International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Cup stage in St. Moritz, Switzerland, regaining the top position in the overall season ranking, according to event organizers on January 31.
Latvian basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis returns for his first game of 2020 after spending 10 games on the bench due to injury, but his shots are imprecise and he only scores 10 points, while his team, the Dallas Mavericks, suffer a close 107:110 loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, according to the NBA on January 22.
The Latvian Football Federation's (LFF) board decided during a meeting on January 20 to dismiss the Latvian national football team's head coach Slavisa Stojanovič and appoint Dainis Kazakevičs the team's new head coach, reported the LETA newswire.
Latvian tennis players Aļona Ostapenko and Ernests Gulbis reached the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, January 21, but for Anastasija Sevastova the tournament has unfortunately already ended, according to information from the organizers on January 21.
Former Latvian State President Raimonds Vējonis has been voted in as the new president of the Latvian Basketball Association (LBS), the LETA newswire reported January 21.
On 30 January this year, the world's best bartenders will gather for the tenth time at the Olympic Voodoo Casino in Rīga to display all their skills of throwing glasses around, pouring drinks from long distances and allied skills.
Latvian skeleton athlete Martins Dukurs won first place in the BMW International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup stage in Innsbruck, cementing his lead in the overall rankings, according to the organizers on January 17. Luge duo Kaspars Rinks and Ardis Liepiņš also won the first medal for Latvia in the Youth Olympic Games, according to organizers on January 17.
Latvian bobsledders and a skeleton athlete managed to win two silver medals and a bronze at the La Plagne, France stage of the BMW International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) World Cup, with skeleton athlete Martins Dukurs also securing first place in the overall ranking, according to organizers on January 10-12.
The Washington Wizards basketball franchise has signed Latvian center Anžejs Pasečņiks to a multi-year contract, the official National Basketball Association (NBA) website reported January 12.
The Latvian men's handball team made their debut at the European Championship final tournament in Trondheim, Norway on January 9 with a 22:33 loss against last year's champion Spain, but Latvian player Dainis Krištopāns was named player of the match, according to LETA news agency on January 9.
January 9 will go down in Latvian handball history, as the national team led by head coach Armands Uščins will compete in the European Handball Federation EURO CUP final tournament for the first time, according to Latvian Radio.
On January 7 the Latvian Cycling Federation named Krists Neilands and Vanesa Buldinska as the best Latvian cyclists of 2019.
On January 6 theater critic Silvija Radzobe was awarded the Normunds Naumanis' Annual Art Criticism Award at the “NN Night” awards ceremony, and on January 7 she spoke with Latvian Radio's “Kultūras Rondo” broadcast about the importance of theater in everyday life in Latvia.
Despite the warm and wet December, Žagarkalns ski center near Cēsis has had a slope open for skiing and snowboarding for a month, according to Vidzeme TV on January 6.
Latvian equestrian Kristaps Neretnieks and his horse Moon Ray maintained their number one ranking in the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) regional rankings released on January 6, meaning that he qualifies for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, becoming the first Latvian equestrian to do so.