Sport in Latvia
Encyclopedia
Ice hockey
Ice hockey is the most popular sport in Latvia. It has one pro hockey leagueLatvian Hockey League
The Latvian Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league based in Latvia. It is also known in Latvian as Latvijas atklātais čempionāts hokejā ....
, there are also several amateur hockey leagues. Ice hockey has been played in Latvia since the 1920s. Latvia is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
(IIHF
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
), its national team has participated in several World Championships and the 1936 Winter Olympic Games. After Latvia was occupied by The Soviet Union in 1940, its membership in the IIHF was interrupted. Latvians had a significant role in establishing ice hockey in The Soviet Union. Latvia's Dinamo Rīga
Dinamo Riga
Dinamo Riga was an ice hockey club, based in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 1946 and disestablished in 1995 as Pārdaugava Rīga.-History of Dinamo Riga:...
team was one of eleven teams which played in the first Soviet championship tournament in the winter of 1946/1947. The Latvian Harijs Mellups
Harijs Mellups
Harijs Mellups was a Latvian football and ice hockey player. Mellups died in a plane crash at age of 23.-Biography:Mellups came from Sarkandaugava in Riga where he played football in the streets and in the winter - ice hockey on a frozen river. His first football club was Aldaris for which Mellups...
was the goalkeeper for the Soviet Union National team in its first international game in 1948.
Latvian hockey experienced a decline in the 1960s, with Dinamo Rīga being relegated from the Soviet High League (vysshaya liga) to the first league and then even to the second league. It began a comeback in the 1970s, under the coach Viktor Tikhonov
Viktor Tikhonov
Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov is a Russian former ice hockey player and coach. He was the coach of the Soviet team when it was the most dominant team in the world...
who would later go on to coach CSKA Moscow and the Soviet national team. In the 1973/1974 season, Dinamo Rīga returned to the Elite League where it stayed until the end of Soviet Union in 1991.
In 1975, Viktor Hatulev
Viktor Hatulev
Viktor Khatulev was a Latvian ice hockey defenseman and left winger who played for Dinamo Riga in the Soviet Hockey League...
of Dinamo Rīga became the first ice hockey player from the Soviet Union drafted
NHL Entry Draft
The NHL Entry Draft is an annual meeting in which every franchise of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur ice hockey players who meet draft eligibility requirements...
by the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
but never had a chance to play, as Soviet players were not allowed to play for foreign teams. Helmuts Balderis
Helmuts Balderis
Helmuts Balderis-Sildedzis is a retired Latvian ice hockey player. He played right wing.-Playing career:...
was the brightest Latvian hockey star of 1970s and 1980s, and achieved all-time scoring records (scoring 333 goals in Soviet championships) for Latvian forwards. He was the leading scorer in the Soviet Elite League twice (1977 and 1983) and the Player of the Year once (1977). Balderis also played for the Soviet National team, being on the losing side of the Miracle on Ice
Miracle on Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...
game in 1980 but winning the World Championships
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
on other occasions (1978, 1979 and 1983). Balderis was named the best forward of the 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship. Despite his continuing high scoring results, he was not selected for the Soviet National team for the 1984 Winter Olympics, possibly because of political or national reasons (in those years the Soviet team consisted of sportsmen only from Moscow ice hockey teams, any other Soviet cities or Soviet republics were not represented). Thus Balderis became the all-time top scorer among those Soviet ice hockey forwards who played for the national team but had never been awarded the Olympic gold medal. Goalkeepers Vitālijs Samoilovs and Artūrs Irbe
Arturs Irbe
Artūrs Irbe is a former Soviet and Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender. He has played in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets. He served as the goaltending coach for the Washington Capitals...
also starred for the Soviet team in the 1980s, Irbe was the best goalkeeper of the 1990 Ice Hockey World Championship. Samoilovs was the backup goaltender on the gold-medal winning Soviet team at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.
The best season for Dinamo Rīga came in 1987/1988, the first season when the Soviet Elite League instituted an NHL-style playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
system. Dinamo Rīga finished third in the regular season and upset Dynamo Moscow in the semi-finals, before losing to CSKA Moscow, the perennial Soviet champions of the 1980s, in the finals.
After Latvia regained independence in 1991, Latvia restored its membership in the IIHF
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
and the Latvian national team returned to international competitions. As a new team, they were initially placed in the C Pool (third division) of the World Championships and had to qualify for the higher level competitions. They debuted in the B Pool in 1994 and the top-level A Pool in 1997. Latvia has played in the A Pool championship since then. The best result was 7th place in 1997, 2004 and 2009. While not a medal contender, the Latvian team has produced some upsets over the top teams in World Championships, defeating the USA twice (in 1998 and 2001) and arch rival Russia twice (in 2000 and 2003). Latvia competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
, the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
and the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
.
, fifteen Latvian ice hockey players have played in NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
. The first of them was Helmuts Balderis
Helmuts Balderis
Helmuts Balderis-Sildedzis is a retired Latvian ice hockey player. He played right wing.-Playing career:...
, who came to play in Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
team at the age of 36 in the 1989–90 season .Sandis Ozoliņš
Sandis Ozolinsh
Sandis Ozoliņš , commonly known as Sandis Ozolinsh in North America, is a Latvian ice hockey player and captain of Dinamo Riga in the Kontinental Hockey League. During his career in North America, Ozoliņš was a seven-time NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup champion, and Norris Trophy finalist...
, Artūrs Irbe, Sergejs Žoltoks and Kārlis Skrastiņš
Karlis Skrastinš
Kārlis Skrastiņš was a Latvian professional ice hockey player. Skrastins was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League and was on board the team plane which crashed on September 7, 2011...
have been the most successful ones. Ozoliņš is the only Latvian to win the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
, in the 1995–96 season with the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
. Ozoliņš and Irbe have played in NHL All-Star Game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
s.
The other Latvian players who have played in NHL are: Aleksandrs Kerčs
Aleksandrs Kercs
Alexander Kerch is a professional ice hockey left wing, currently playing in Latvian hockey league club DHK Latgale.- Career :...
, Grigorijs Panteļejevs
Grigorijs Pantelejevs
Grigorijs Panteļejevs . The 5th choice, 136th overall selection of the Boston Bruins in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Panteļejevs came to North America and the NHL in 1992-93 after spending the past two seasons with Dynamo Riga.Upon his arrival in North America, diminutive forward went on to split his...
, Pēteris Skudra
Peteris Skudra
Pēteris "Peter" Skudra is a retired Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League for six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Vancouver Canucks....
, Viktors Ignatjevs
Viktors Ignatjevs
Viktors Ignatjevs is a former Latvian ice hockey player who played 11 games in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Currently Ignatjevs works as the assistant coach in Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League.He has a wife Lena and three daughters: Lisa , Kristina , and Sonja...
, Herberts Vasiļjevs, Kaspars Astašenko
Kaspars Astašenko
Kaspars Astašenko is a Lavian professional ice hockey player. Astashenko played 23 games in the National Hockey League for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Currently he plays for Serie A hockey team AS Renon.- References :...
, Raitis Ivanāns, Jānis Sprukts
Janis Sprukts
Jānis Sprukts is a Latvian professional ice hockey forward, who currently is playing for KHL team Dinamo Riga. Last year he spent in North America, playing 12 games for Florida Panthers...
, Harijs Vītoliņš
Harijs Vitolinš
Harijs Vītoliņš is a Latvian former professional ice hockey centre...
, Mārtiņš Karsums
Martins Karsums
Mārtiņš Karsums is a Latvian professional ice hockey player currently playing as a right winger for Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League . Karsums was selected in the second round, 64th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins...
, Oskars Bārtulis
Oskars Bartulis
Oskars Bārtulis is a Latvian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Adirondack Phantoms of the American Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, Artūrs Kulda
Artūrs Kulda
Artūrs Kulda is a Latvian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, Kaspars Daugaviņš
Kaspars Daugavinš
Kaspars Daugaviņš is a Latvian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League . He was selected by the Senators in the third round, 91st overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft....
.
The 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 70th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 45 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for the 2007 competition...
was held in Latvia.
Basketball
In LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, basketball is the third most popular sport. Latvia has a long basketballing tradition. Latvia won the first European championship in 1935 and hosted the second championship in 1937.
In the Soviet period, the Latvian men's basketball team, ASK Rīga
ASK Riga
ASK Rīga is the name of a former professional basketball club based in Riga, Latvia. "ASK" stands for "Armijas Sporta Klubs" .-History:...
was dominant in the Soviet League in the 1950s and early 1960s, winning several Soviet league championships and three European Champion's Cups, in 1958, 1959 and 1960. In the 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
, four Latvians, Jānis Krūmiņš
Janis Kruminš
Jānis Krūmiņš was a Soviet Latvian center basketball player. Helped by his height , he was the first giant center dominating under the European baskets, for years...
, Valdis Muižnieks
Valdis Muiznieks
Valdis Muižnieks is a retired Latvian basketball player.He played for ASK Riga and won 3 Euroleague titles and 4 national championships ....
, Cēzars Ozers and Maigonis Valdmanis
Maigonis Valdmanis
Maigonis Valdmanis was a Latvian basketball player. He was born in Riga.He played for ASK Riga and won 3 Euroleague titles and 4 national championships ....
were a part of the silver-medal winning Soviet team. The Soviet Olympic teams in 1956
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
and 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
had three Latvian players each. The Soviet team in 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
had one Latvian.
The women's team, TTT Riga
TTT Riga
TTT Rīga is the name of a professional women's basketball club based in Riga, Latvia. "TTT" means Tram and Trolley Trust.-History:TTT women's basketball team was founded in 1958. The team was to arrive by tram and trolley under the auspices of a trust. The first TTT Riga game was played on November...
was very successful in the 1970s and 1980s, winning the European Champion's Cup 18 times, more than any other team in any team sport. 2.12 m (7 ft) tall Uljana Semjonova was the women's key player in this period. She was also very dominant with the Soviet team in international games, never losing a game in international competitions and winning 2 Olympic and 3 World Championships.
For men's basketball, the guard Valdis Valters
Valdis Valters
Valdis Valters is a retired Latvian basketball player.A point guard for the USSR, he is regarded as one of the greatest to have played the game in Europe in the 1980s....
was the most highly acclaimed player of 1980s. He won a European Championship with the Soviet team in 1981 and was recognized as the most valuable player of the tournament, but did not get a chance to play in Olympics, because of the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles which coincided with Valter's best playing years. Another Latvian, Igors Miglinieks won gold with the Soviet team four years later, in the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
.
Latvia returned to international competition as an independent country in 1992. The qualifiers of the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
were the first tournament for Latvia's team. A major controversy was caused by two Latvian players, Igors Miglinieks and Gundars Vētra
Gundars Vetra
Gundars Vetra is a retired Latvian professional basketball player.Vētra was the first Latvian to play in the United States' National Basketball Association...
. They had a choice of either playing for the Unified Team
Unified Team
The Unified Team was the name used for the sports team of the former Soviet Union at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The IOC country code was EUN, after the French name, Équipe Unifiée...
which was certain to qualify for the Olympics or the Latvian national team which had a chance but was not certain to qualify. The two players chose to play for the Unified Team. The Latvian team, playing without them, failed to qualify for Olympics. This caused a great deal of resentment in Latvia and the two players never played for Latvia in an international game.
After the country regained independence, the most successful tournament for Latvia was the 2001 European Championships when the Latvian team finished in 8th place. The centre/power forward Kaspars Kambala
Kaspars Kambala
Kaspars Kambala is a Latvian professional basketball player and a former professional boxer. He is 2.06 meters tall and he weighs 125 kilograms...
was Latvia's best player in this tournament. Latvia's national championship, Latvijas Basketbola Līga, was dominated by Brocēni team in 1990s and Ventspils team in 2000s. In 2006, Ventspils team won its seventh consecutive championship.
Gundars Vētra became the first Latvian in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
when he briefly played for Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
for 13 games in 1993. Andris Biedriņš
Andris Biedrinš
Andris Biedriņš is a Latvian professional basketball player who plays the power forward and center positions for the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He was drafted by the Warriors with the 11th overall selection in the 2004 NBA Draft.-FIBA career:...
was drafted in the 2004 NBA Draft
2004 NBA Draft
The 2004 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2004 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm . In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible...
with the 11th pick by the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and had already played three seasons, becoming the second Latvian to play in the NBA. He was the youngest player in the 2004-05 NBA season
2004-05 NBA season
The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association . It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating defending champion Detroit Pistons 4–3 in the NBA Finals....
.
In EuroBasket Women 2007
EuroBasket Women 2007
- Group B :- Group C :- Group D :-Qualifying round:- Group E :- Group F :-Championship bracket:-5th place bracket:- Quarterfinals :-Classification rounds:- Semifinals :- Third place game:...
, the national women's basketball team reached the semi-finals, the best results of the first national basketball team since gaining independence from The Soviet Union, and faced Russia
Russia women's national basketball team
The Russia women's national basketball team represents Russia in international basketball competitions for Women. The team has participated in the FIBA World Championship for Women since 1998 and their best finish has been a silver medal in 1998, 2002 and 2006...
. Struggling with injuries, most notably key players Gunta Baško
Gunta Baško
Gunta Baško is a Latvian women's basketball player currently playing for TS Wisła Can Pack Kraków and Latvia women's national basketball team. She was born in Riga....
and Anete Jēkabsone-Žogota
Anete Jekabsone
Anete Jēkabsone-Žogota is a Latvian basketball player who plays for Fenerbahçe Istanbul. She is a daughter of former VEF Rīga star player Andris Jēkabsons....
, Latvia eventually lost and reached 4th place, losing to Belarus.
Association football
Association football was the most popular sport in Latvia during the first period of independence (1918–1940).The Latvian national team participated in the final stage of the 2004 European Football Championship. The leading scorer for the Latvian national football team is Māris Verpakovskis
Maris Verpakovskis
Māris Verpakovskis , is a Latvian football forward, currently playing for the Azerbaijan Premier League club FK Baku in Azerbaijan and the Latvia national football team.-Latvia:...
.
See also: Latvia national football team
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
Athletics
Latvian athletes have achieved medals in Olympics and European/World championships. Most recently Ainars KovalsAinars Kovals
Ainārs Kovals is a male Latvian javelin thrower. His personal best throw is 86.64 metres, achieved at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he finished second. He has been coached by Valentīna Eiduka....
with a silver medal in the men's Javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Staņislavs Olijars
Stanislavs Olijars
Staņislavs Olijars is a Latvian athlete mainly competing in the 110 metres hurdles. He is the 2000 European indoor champion, and in 2002 he won European indoor and outdoor medals. His best Olympic performance was in 2004, finishing 5th. In 2006, he became European champion in the event...
won silver medal in 2002, and gold medal in 2006 at European Championships in the 110 m hurdles. Jeļena Prokopčuka
Jelena Prokopcuka
Jeļena Prokopčuka is a Latvian long-distance runner, perhaps best known for winning the New York City Marathon in 2005 and 2006...
has won New York City marathon in 2005 and 2006.
In the Soviet, period there were many great Latvian javelin throwers. Javelin thrower Inese Jaunzeme
Inese Jaunzeme
Inese Jaunzeme was a Latvian athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw.Born in Pļaviņas, she trained with the Dynamo club in Riga. Jaunzeme was third in the javelin at the USSR Championships in 1956, earning herself a place on the Olympic team for the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne,...
became first Latvian who won Olympic Games she did it in 1956 Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
. In 1960 Summer Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
gold medal won another javelin thrower Elvīra Ozoliņa
Elvira Ozolina
Elvīra Anatolyevna Ozoliņa is a retired Latvian athlete, who competed in javelin throw. She won the gold medal for the USSR team in the 1960 Olympics and was awarded Order of the Red Banner of Labour that year.Ozoliņa trained at VSS Burevestnik in Leningrad...
. Latvian javelin thrower Jānis Lūsis
Janis Lusis
Jānis Lūsis is a Latvian athlete who competed in javelin throw.Lūsis trained at Daugava Voluntary Sports Society and later at Armed Forces sports society...
won 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
also he is 4 time European champion
European Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Championships is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. It is organised every four years, the same year as the Commonwealth Games and between the Summer Olympic Games cycle. After the 2010 Championships in Barcelona, the European Championships will take...
. Lūsis set two world records in javelin throw, 91.68 m in 1968 and of 93.80 m in 1972. In 1987, IAAF nominated him as the all-time greatest javelin thrower in the world. Another javelin thrower won gold medal in 1980 Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
it was Dainis Kūla
Dainis Kula
Dainis Kūla is a Latvian former javelin thrower who represented the Soviet Union at the international level for most of his career. He is most famous for controversially winning the gold medal in men's javelin throw at the 1980 Summer Olympics, becoming the second Latvian to achieve this...
.
Tennis
Since 2006, tennis has become popular sport in Latvia because of Ernests GulbisErnests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
's achievements. He reached 4th round of 2007 U.S. Open
2007 U.S. Open (tennis)
The 2007 US Open was held from 27 August to 9 September 2007, at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows, New York City....
where in 3rd round he beat world No. 8 Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo
Tommy Robredo Garcés is a Spanish professional tennis player. On 8 May 2006, he broke into the world's top ten for the first time. His highest singles ranking to date is No...
. In 2008 he lost in quarter-finals in French Open, where his opponent was world No. 3 Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
. Gulbis has reached 38th position in ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
ranking.
Of course, he isn't only Latvian who has played tennis at a high level. Starting from late 1980s until beginning of 1990s, one of the top tennis players in doubles was Ukrainian-born Larisa Neiland
Larisa Neiland
Larisa Savchenko Neiland is a former tennis player who represented Latvia. A former number-one ranked doubles player, Neiland won two women's doubles Grand Slam titles. She also won two singles titles and sixty-five doubles titles.-Career:Neiland turned professional in 1983...
. Partnering Natasha Zvereva
Natasha Zvereva
Natalya "Natasha" Zvereva, or Zverava is a former tennis player from Belarus. Zvereva was the first major athlete in the Soviet Union to demand publicly that she should be able to keep her tournament earnings...
she has won two Grand Slam doubles tournaments (1989 French Open
1989 French Open
List of the 1989 French Open Champions. For the first time in French Open history the Singles championships were won by two teenagers – Michael Chang and Arantxa Sánchez . Chang still holds the record for youngest ever male Grand Slam singles title winner. He gained many admirers for his audacious...
and 1991 Wimbledon
1991 Wimbledon Championships
The 1991 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on :grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London in England...
). In singles her highest achievements are quarterfinals at 1994 Wimbledon
1994 Wimbledon Championships
The 1994 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on :grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London in England...
and 1988 U.S. Open. Her best position in WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
singles ranking was 58th, which she reached in 1996, while in beginning of 1992 she was 1st in doubles ranking.
Latvian team
Latvia Davis Cup team
The Latvia Davis Cup team represents Latvia in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Latvian Tennis Union. Team is coached by Ģirts Dzelde....
is participating in Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
since 1993
1993 Davis Cup
The 1993 Davis Cup was the 82nd edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. A total of 100 nations participated in the tournament...
when it won rights to get promoted to Group II of Europe/Africa zone. In 2000
2000 Davis Cup
The 2000 Davis Cup was the 89th edition of the most important tournament between nations in men's tennis. A total of 135 nations participated in the tournament...
Latvia was relegated to Group III. It next year Latvia returned to Group II, but was relegated again in 2002
2002 Davis Cup
The 2002 Davis Cup was the 91st edition of the most important tournament between nations in men's tennis. A total of 130 nations participated in the tournament...
. Latvia returned to Group II already in next year and since then is playing there. In 2007
2007 Davis Cup
The 2007 Davis Cup was the 96th edition of the Davis Cup, the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. Sixteen teams participated in the World Group and 123 took part in different regional groups...
Latvians met Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
team. Latvia won and were promoted to Group I for 2008
2008 Davis Cup
The 2008 Davis Cup was the 97th edition of the most important tournament between national teams in men's tennis. Sixteen teams participated in the World Group and more than one hundred others took part in different regional groups. The first matches were played on February 8–10...
, where Latvia were defeated by Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. Besides Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis
Ernests Gulbis is a Latvian professional tennis player. In 2008, Gulbis won his first ATP Tour doubles title at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships, teaming with Rainer Schüttler, and in 2010 won his first ATP Tour singles title in the Delray Beach, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final...
, in team were also playing Andis Juška
Andis Juška
Andis Juška is a tennis player from Latvia. His highest single's ranking to date was 226 reached on October 26, 2009. Already for several years he is the second highest rated Latvian tennis player in the ATP ranking behind Ernests Gulbis. He has won nine events at the ITF Futures level. In August...
, Deniss Pavlovs
Deniss Pavlovs
Deniss Pavlovs is a Latvian tennis player playing on the ATP Challenger Tour. On July 20, 2009, he reached his highest ATP singles ranking of World No. 263, whilst his highest doubles ranking of 155 was reached on September 23, 2009....
and Karlis Lejnieks
Karlis Lejnieks
Kārlis Lejnieks is a retired Latvian tennis player currently pursuing interest in coaching. Through his career Lejnieks has won one Futures doubles title and has one runner-up in singles....
.
Cycling
Also Latvian cycling athletes are famous in the world arena. Lately in BMXBMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
. First time in Europe cycling history one country Latvian BMX Elite Riders (Artūrs Matisons, Ivo Lakučs, Māris Štrombergs
Maris Štrombergs
Māris Štrombergs is a Latvian professional BMX racer. In the 2008 Summer Olympics he became the first Olympic champion in BMX cycling. Earlier that year he won the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships....
Artis Zentiņš) triumphed on European Championships 2006. Māris Štrombergs
Maris Štrombergs
Māris Štrombergs is a Latvian professional BMX racer. In the 2008 Summer Olympics he became the first Olympic champion in BMX cycling. Earlier that year he won the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships....
is the reigning UCI BMX World champion (2008) and Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
gold medalist .
Other sports
Many other sports and recreational activities are also popular in Latvia.- OrienteeringOrienteeringOrienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
is a popular sport that combines cross-country running with land navigationNavigationNavigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
skills in the woods. Orienteering in Latvia is organized by the Latvijas Orientēšanās Federācija.
- Amateur Radio Direction FindingAmateur Radio Direction FindingAmateur radio direction finding is an amateur racing sport that combines radio direction finding with the map and compass skills of orienteering...
is a sport that combines the skills of orienteeringOrienteeringOrienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
with the skills of radio direction finding. ARDF in Latvia is organized by the Latvias Radioamatieru Līga.
Gallery
Gallery of famous Latvian sportpeopleSee also
- Latvia at the OlympicsLatvia at the OlympicsLatvia first participated at the Olympic Games in 1924. After the nation was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, Latvian athletes competed for the Soviet Union at the Olympics between 1952 and 1988...
- Latvia at the 2008 Summer OlympicsLatvia at the 2008 Summer OlympicsLatvia competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. It was Latvia's 9th appearance in Summer Olympics.-Medalists:-Track and road events:Men's 200 metresMen's 800 metresMen's 3000 metre steeplechaseMen's 110 metre hurdles...
- List of Latvians in the NHL