René Fasel, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has asked Rīga mayor Mārtiņš Staķis to restore the official Belarusian flag of state on flagpoles in Rīga, or to remove the IIHF's own symbols from such sites.
After an historic victory over Canada and then a disappointing loss to Kazakhstan, Latvia's ice hockey team returned to winning ways against Italy May 24, racking up a 3:0 victory.
The government will discuss the possibility of watching hockey live on Thursday, Health Minister Daniels Pavļuts told Latvian Television May 24.
Latvia came close to second victory at the International Ice Hockey Championship in Rīga May 22 but were narrowly defeated by Kazakhstan -- the first time the central Asian nation, ranked 16th in the world has beaten Latvia, ranked 10th, at a world championship.
The Latvian national ice hockey team started the World Championship tournament on home ice at Arena Rīga on Friday with a notable victory 2: 0 over the much-fancied Canadian national team.
The world championship organizers have yet to find a solution to implement the Saeima decision on allowing fans to watch games live. The first game with live spectators could take place Thursday, May 27, said Aigars Kalvītis, head of Latvian Hockey Federation (LHF), May 21.
The 16 strongest national ice hockey teams are participating in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in Rīga from May 21. The Latvian national team under the leadership of Canadian head coach Bob Hartley, also hopes for great success
The decision of the Saeima to instruct the government to let fans enter the world championship would in future help to organize other cultural and sports events, Krišjānis Feldmans, Chair of the Saeima faction of the New Conservative Party (JKP), told Latvian Radio May 21.
Following a lengthy debate in parliament May 20, lawmakers have decided to over-rule medical advice and a hitherto cautious stance by government, instructing the government to allow in-person spectators at World Ice Hockey Championship games.
The world championship in hockey will start Friday, May 21. Saeima will decide on Thursday whether, contrary to the advice of epidemiologists, viewers will be allowed to watch hockey games in person, Latvian Television reported.
| Group A | Points |
|---|---|
|
19 |
|
17 |
|
16 |
|
10 |
|
7 |
|
6 |
|
6 |
|
3 |
| Group B | Points |
|---|---|
|
21 |
|
16 |
|
15 |
|
12 |
|
9 |
|
6 |
|
4 |
|
1 |