Sport in Latvia
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Sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...
in
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
includes
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
, athletics (track),
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
,
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...
, and others. Ice hockey is historically the most popular of the Latvian sports and is closely followed by basketball. Some of Latvia’s most notable athletes include hockey player
Sandis Ozoliņš Sandis Ozoliņš (born August 3, 1972), commonly spelled Sandis Ozolinsh in North America, is a Latvian former professional ice hockey player and coach. During his career in North America, Ozoliņš was a seven-time NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup ch ...
, football player
Māris Verpakovskis Māris Verpakovskis (born 15 October 1979), is a Latvian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He represented the Latvia national team at UEFA Euro 2004 and is the only Latvian player to score at the end stage of a major int ...
, olympic javelin thrower
Jānis Lūsis Jānis Lūsis (19 May 1939 – 29 April 2020) was a Latvian track and field athlete who competed in javelin throw. Biography Lūsis trained at Daugava Voluntary Sports Society and later at Armed Forces sports society. He competed in four Sum ...
, two-time Olympic BMX champion Maris Strombergs, and basketball player
Kristaps Porziņģis Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...
. The national sport of Latvia is ice hockey.


Ice hockey

Ice hockey is second most popular sport after basketball in Latvia. Its professional league is the
Latvian Hockey Higher League The Latvian Hockey Higher League ( lv, Latvijas Virslīgas hokeja čempionāts), also known as the Optibet Hockey League ( lv, Optibet hokeja līga) since 2017 due to sponsorship by Optibet, is the top tier league of ice hockey in Latvia current ...
, held since 1931. In Latvia 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 The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
(
IIHF The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
), 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 ( lv, Rīgas Dinamo) is a professional ice hockey team based in Riga, Latvia. It is a member of the Latvian Hockey Higher League. The club is affiliated with HK Zemgale/LLU. The club was re-founded on 7 April 2008 as a successor of ...
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 (1927–1950) was a Latvian football and ice hockey player. Mellups died in the 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash at age 23. Biography Mellups came from Sarkandaugava in Riga where he played football in the streets and ice hockey on ...
was the
goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
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 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 of Dinamo Rīga became the first ice hockey player from the Soviet Union drafted by the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) but never had a chance to play, as Soviet players were not allowed to play for foreign teams. Helmuts Balderis was the brightest Latvian hockey star of the 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 game in 1980 but winning the
World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
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. Goaltenders
Vitālijs Samoilovs Vitālijs Samoilovs (russian: Виталий Анатольевич Самойлов; born 17 April 1962) is a former Latvian professional ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. Ethnically Russian, he played for HC Dynamo Rig ...
and
Artūrs Irbe Artūrs Irbe (born 2 February 1967) is a Latvian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. Born during the Soviet era, Irbe played for various Soviet league teams and the Soviet Union national team before moving to North America in 19 ...
also starred for the Soviet team in the 1980s, Irbe was the best goaltender 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 ) , nations = 57 , athletes = 1,423 (1,122 men, 301 women) , events = 46 in 6 sports (10 disciplines) , opening = February 13, 1988 , closing = February 28, 1988 , opened_by = Governor General Jeanne Sauvé , cauldron ...
. The best season for Dinamo Rīga came in 1987/1988, the first season when the Soviet Elite League instituted an NHL-style
playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
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 The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
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, the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second t ...
and the
2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
. , twenty four Latvian ice hockey players have played in
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
. The first of them was Helmuts Balderis, who came to play in
Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
team at the age of 36 in the 1989–90 season.
Sandis Ozoliņš Sandis Ozoliņš (born August 3, 1972), commonly spelled Sandis Ozolinsh in North America, is a Latvian former professional ice hockey player and coach. During his career in North America, Ozoliņš was a seven-time NHL All-Star, Stanley Cup ch ...
,
Artūrs Irbe Artūrs Irbe (born 2 February 1967) is a Latvian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. Born during the Soviet era, Irbe played for various Soviet league teams and the Soviet Union national team before moving to North America in 19 ...
, Sergejs Žoltoks and Kārlis Skrastiņš have been the most successful ones. Ozoliņš is the only Latvian to win the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
, in the 1995–96 season with the
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
. Ozoliņš and Irbe have played in NHL
All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...
s. The other Latvian players who have played in NHL are: Aleksandrs Kerčs,
Grigorijs Panteļejevs Grigorijs Panteļejevs (born November 13, 1972 in Gastello, Soviet Union) is a Latvian ice hockey coach and former player. Career The 5th choice, 136th overall selection of the Boston Bruins in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, Panteļejevs came to N ...
,
Pēteris Skudra Pēteris "Peter" Skudra (born April 24, 1973) is a Latvian former professional ice hockey goaltender and head coach. During a playing career that lasted from 1994 to 2007 he played for several teams in Latvia, Russia and North America. After sta ...
,
Viktors Ignatjevs Viktors Ignatjevs (born April 26, 1970 in Riga, Soviet Union) is a Latvian former 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 ...
, Herberts Vasiļjevs, Kaspars Astašenko,
Raitis Ivanāns Raitis Ivanāns (born January 3, 1979) is a Latvian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) and was known primarily as an enforcer. Playing career In 1997, Ivanāns came over to North America and ...
, Jānis Sprukts,
Harijs Vītoliņš Harijs Vītoliņš (Harijs Vitolinsh; born April 30, 1968) is a Latvian former professional ice hockey centre. After being selected twice in the NHL Entry Draft, Vītoliņš played eight games in the National Hockey League with the Winnipeg Jets ...
,
Mārtiņš Karsums Mārtiņš Karsums (born 26 February 1986) is a Latvian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for MHk 32 Liptovský Mikuláš of the Slovak Extraliga. Karsums was selected in the second round, 64th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entr ...
,
Oskars Bārtulis Oskars Bārtulis (russian: Оскарс Бартулис; born January 21, 1987) is a retired Latvian professional ice hockey defenceman. He has previously played parts of two seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flye ...
, Artūrs Kulda, Kaspars Daugaviņš,
Zemgus Girgensons Zemgus Girgensons (born 5 January 1994) is a Latvian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "the Latvian Locomotive", he was selected 14th overall in the 2012 NHL ...
,
Kristers Gudļevskis Kristers Gudļevskis (born 31 July 1992) is a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Fischtown Pinguins of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Gudļevskis was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round (124th overall) of t ...
, Ronalds Ķēniņš,
Rūdolfs Balcers Rūdolfs Balcers (born 8 April 1997) is a Latvian professional ice hockey forward for the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected b ...
, Teodors Bļugers,
Elvis Merzļikins Elvis Merzļikins (; born 13 April 1994) is a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Merzļikins spent several years playing hockey in Switzerland for HC Lugano, and was aw ...
. The 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was held in Latvia.


Basketball

Latvian national sport is basketball. In
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, basketball is the 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,
Rīgas ASK Rīgas Armijas Sporta Klubs was a professional basketball club that was based in Riga, Latvia. History Rīgas ASK was founded in 1931, and started playing in the Latvian Basketball Championship. In the years that Latvia was controlled by the Sovi ...
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 The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
, four Latvians,
Jānis Krūmiņš Jānis Krūmiņš (30 January 1930 – 20 November 1994) was a Soviet Union, Soviet-Latvian people, Latvian professional basketball player. Helped by his height (about 220 cm, or 7'3"), he was the first giant Center (basketball), center th ...
,
Valdis Muižnieks Valdis Muižnieks (February 22, 1935 – November 29, 2013) was a Latvian basketball player. Muižnieks was born in Riga. He played for Rīgas ASK and won 3 Euroleague titles (1958, 1959, 1960) and 4 Soviet national championships (1955, 1956 ...
,
Cēzars Ozers Cēzars Ozers (born 11 February 1937) is a retired Soviet and Latvian basketball player. He played as a point guard. Ozers won a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officiall ...
and
Maigonis Valdmanis Maigonis Valdmanis (September 8, 1933 – October 30, 1999) was a Soviet and Latvian basketball player and coach. He was born in Riga. He played for Rīgas ASK and won three Euroleague titles (1958, 1959, 1960) and four Soviet national league c ...
were a part of the silver-medal winning Soviet team. The Soviet Olympic teams in 1956 and
1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...
had three Latvian players each. The Soviet team in 1952 Summer Olympics had one Latvian. The women's team,
TTT Riga TTT Rīga is a professional women's basketball club based in Riga, Latvia. "TTT" means Tram and Trolley Trust. The team held its first official game on 5 November 1958. The next 25 years are known as the ''First Golden age'' of the club. Internati ...
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 Uļjana Larionovna Semjonova (russian: Ульяна Ларионовна Семёнова, Ul'yana Larionovna Semyonova; born 9 March 1952) is a retired Latvian basketball player who competed for the Soviet Union. Standing at least Semjonova w ...
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 (born August 4, 1957) is a retired Latvian professional basketball player. He played at the point guard position for the senior USSR national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest players to have played the game in Europe in ...
was the most highly acclaimed player of the 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 The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
in Los Angeles which coincided with Valter's best playing years. Another Latvian,
Igors Miglinieks Igors Miglinieks (born 4 May 1964) is a retired Soviet and Latvian professional basketball player and coach. He played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Professional club playing career Miglinieks was a member of the World Basket ...
won gold with the Soviet team four years later, in the
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
. Latvia returned to international competition as an independent country in 1992. The qualifiers of the 1992 Summer Olympics were the first tournament for Latvia's team. A major controversy was caused by two Latvian players,
Igors Miglinieks Igors Miglinieks (born 4 May 1964) is a retired Soviet and Latvian professional basketball player and coach. He played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. Professional club playing career Miglinieks was a member of the World Basket ...
and
Gundars Vētra Gundars Vētra (born May 22, 1967) is a Latvian former professional basketball player and a current coach. He most recently served as a head coach of Spartak St. Petersburg. Standing at , he played at the shooting guard and small forward positio ...
. They had a choice of either playing for the Unified Team 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 (born December 13, 1978) is a Latvian semi-professional basketball player, currently for BK Jūrmala, and a former professional boxer. Standing at , he plays at the position of forward-center. High school A 1997 graduate of Home ...
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 the 2000s. In 2006, Ventspils team won its seventh consecutive championship. Gundars Vētra became the first Latvian in the NBA when he briefly played for
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
for 13 games in 1993.
Andris Biedriņš Andris Biedriņš (; born April 2, 1986) is a Latvian former professional basketball player. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft. Professional career Skonto (2002–2004) Biedriņš's ...
was drafted in the 2004 NBA draft with the 11th pick by the
Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
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. In the 2015 NBA draft, the New York Knicks selected
Kristaps Porziņģis Kristaps Porziņģis (; born 2 August 1995) is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest active players in the NBA, standing at tall, and plays bo ...
, at the time playing for Spanish club Baloncesto Sevilla, with the fourth selection. In
EuroBasket Women 2007 The 2007 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2007, was the 31st regional championship held by FIBA Europe. The competition was held in Italy and took place from September 24, 2007 to October 7, 2007. Russia w ...
, 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 (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. Struggling with injuries, most notably key players
Gunta Baško Gunta Baško (formerly known also as Gunta Baško-Melnbārde; born 27 April 1980) is a Latvian women's basketball player currently playing for TTT Riga and Latvia women's national basketball team. Baško first played in a professional team in ...
and Anete Jēkabsone-Žogota, Latvia eventually lost and reached 4th place, losing to
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
. Latvia will co-host the Women's EuroBasket 2019 alongside
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. And, in 2022, the national team qualified for the first time to the FIBA Basketball World Cup.


Athletics

Latvian athletes have achieved medals in Olympics and European/World championships. Most recently
Ainārs Kovals Ainārs Kovals (born 21 November 1981) is a Latvian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains m ...
with a silver medal in the men's
Javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...
at the 2008 Olympics in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. Staņislavs Olijars won a silver medal in 2002, and a gold medal at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in the 110 m hurdles.
Jeļena Prokopčuka Jeļena Prokopčuka (née Čelnova; born 21 September 1976 in Riga, Latvia) is a retired Latvian long-distance runner, best known for winning the New York City Marathon in 2005 and 2006. Biography She holds six outdoor and one indoor Latvian ...
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 became first Latvian who won Olympic Games she did it in 1956 Olympics. In
1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
gold medal won another javelin thrower Elvīra Ozoliņa. Latvian javelin thrower
Jānis Lūsis Jānis Lūsis (19 May 1939 – 29 April 2020) was a Latvian track and field athlete who competed in javelin throw. Biography Lūsis trained at Daugava Voluntary Sports Society and later at Armed Forces sports society. He competed in four Sum ...
won 1968 Summer Olympics also he is 4 time European champion. Lūsis set two world records in javelin throw, 91.68 m in 1968 and of 93.80 m in 1972. In 1987,
IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
nominated him as the all-time greatest javelin thrower in the world. Another javelin thrower won gold medal in 1980 Olympics it was
Dainis Kūla Dainis Kūla (born 28 April 1959 in Tukums, Latvian SSR) 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 ...
.


Rugby union


Tennis

Since 2006, tennis has become a popular sport in Latvia because of
Ernests Gulbis Ernests Gulbis (, born 30 August 1988, nicknamed "Lord", "The Gull" or "Ernie") 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 Schütt ...
's achievements. He reached 4th round of 2007 U.S. Open wherein the 3rd round he beat world No. 8
Tommy Robredo Tomás Robredo Garcés, known as Tommy Robredo (, ; born 1 May 1982), is a Spanish former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 5, which he reached in August 2006 as a result of winning the Hamburg Masters ea ...
. In 2008 he lost in the quarter-finals in
French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...
, where his opponent was the world No. 3
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl, Новак Ђоковић, translit=Novak Đoković, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 1 for a record total 373 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 ...
. Gulbis reached No.10 in June 2014. Another successful tennis player was
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
-born Larisa Neiland, one of the top female doubles players from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. Partnering
Natasha Zvereva Natallia Marataŭna Zvierava ( be, Наталля Маратаўна Зверава; russian: Наталья Маратовна Зверева, Natalia Maratovna Zvereva; born 16 April 1971) is a former professional tennis player from Belarus ...
, she has won two Grand Slam doubles tournaments ( 1989 French Open and 1991 Wimbledon). In singles her highest achievements are quarterfinals at the 1994 Wimbledon and the 1988 U.S. Open. Her best position in WTA singles ranking was 58th, which she reached in 1996, while in beginning of 1992 she was 1st in doubles ranking. The Latvian team has been participating in Davis Cup since 1993 when it won rights to get promoted to Group II of Europe/Africa zone. In 2000 Latvia was relegated to Group III. Next year Latvia returned to Group II, but was relegated again in 2002. Latvia returned to Group II already in next year and since then is playing there. In 2007 Latvians met
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
team. Latvia won and were promoted to Group I for 2008, where Latvia was defeated by
Republic of Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
. Besides Gulbis, in team were also playing
Andis Juška Andis Juška (born 22 May 1985) is a Latvian tennis coach and former player. He is a coach of American player Amanda Anisimova, and former coach of Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina. In addition, Andis has worked with Latvian tennis player Jeļe ...
, Deniss Pavlovs and Karlis Lejnieks. In 2017,
Jeļena Ostapenko Jeļena Ostapenko (born 8 June 1997), also known as Aļona Ostapenko, is a Latvian professional tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 5 in singles, achieved on 19 March 2018, and world No. 9 in doubles, reached on 22 Augus ...
became the first Latvian to win a Grand Slam title when she won the Women's Singles Title at the 2017 French Open . In March 2018 she reached a career high singles ranking of no. 5 and she has a career high doubles ranking of no. 32 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Another WTA Player is
Anastasija Sevastova Anastasija Sevastova (born 13 April 1990) is an inactive professional tennis player from Latvia. She reached her career-high singles ranking of world No. 11 in October 2018, after reaching her first Premier Mandatory final at the China Open. She ...
who reached a career high ranking of no. 15 in 2017 and has reached three US Open quarterfinals, including one semifinal, and has won three WTA titles. In the
Fed Cup The Billie Jean King Cup (or the BJK Cup) is the premier international team competition in women's tennis, launched as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The name was chan ...
, the Latvian team reached World Group II status in 2018, defeating
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
en route.


Association football

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
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 Māris Verpakovskis (born 15 October 1979), is a Latvian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He represented the Latvia national team at UEFA Euro 2004 and is the only Latvian player to score at the end stage of a major int ...
. A sports marketing study conducted by international company Mediacom has concluded that football is Latvia’s most popular sport – a title it has now held for three consecutive years. The annual study takes into consideration 65 sports activities in Latvia, calculating their popularity by taking into account the amount of active and passive participants in each sport at both a social and competitive level, as well as tracking the amount of coverage each sport receives in the media and attendance at events.


Cycling

Also Latvian cyclists are famous in the world arena, lately in BMX. First time in Europe cycling history one country Latvian BMX Elite Riders ( Artūrs Matisons, Ivo Lakučs,
Māris Štrombergs Māris Štrombergs (born 10 March 1987) is a Latvian former 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. In 2012 he p ...
Artis Zentiņš) triumphed on European Championships 2006.
Māris Štrombergs Māris Štrombergs (born 10 March 1987) is a Latvian former 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. In 2012 he p ...
was the 2008 and 2010 UCI BMX World champion and a double gold medalist at the Beijing
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
and
London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. Latvian rider
Romāns Vainšteins Romāns Vainšteins (born 3 March 1973, in Talsi) is a former professional road bicycle racer from Latvia. He won the road race at the 2000 World Cycling Championship in Plouay, France. At the end of the race, he won the sprint for the line ...
won the elite men's road race at the 2000 UCI Road World Championships.


Motorsport

Rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...
is considered to be the second most popular sport in Latvia. The
Rally Liepāja–Ventspils Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sports ...
is a round of the
European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship has b ...
since 2013. The Speedway Grand Prix of Latvia is a round of the
Speedway Grand Prix Speedway Grand Prix are a series of stand-alone motorcycle speedway events over the course of a season used to determine the Speedway World Champion. The series started in 1995 replacing the previous format of a single event final. The first win ...
since 2006. In rallycross
Reinis Nitišs Reinis Nitišs (born 16 December 1995) is a rallycross driver from Jēkabpils, Latvia. He is the winner of the Super1600 division in the European Rallycross Championship in 2013 and is the youngest event winner in FIA World Rallycross Championship ...
was European Rallycross Champion in the Super 1600 class in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and went on to become the youngest winner of a round of the
FIA World Rallycross Championship The FIA World Rallycross Championship (official abbreviation is World RX) is a rallycross series organised by the FIA in conjunction with series promoter Rallycross Promoter GmbH (founded by Red Bull and KW25). From the inaugural season in 2014 ...
when he took the 2014 World RX of Norway at the age of 18. Nitišs would later become the first driver from the Baltic states to become European Champion in the highest division of rallycross. Subsequently, Jānis Baumanis has followed in his footsteps by winning the European Super 1600 championship in 2015 and also races in the top-flight. Latvia has also had two open-wheel drivers - Haralds Šlēgelmilhs who competed in Formula Two in 2012, and
Karlīne Štāla Karlīne Štāla (born 5 March 1986) is a Auto racing, race car driver from Latvia. Career history Karting Stala enter in Kart racing, karting series in 2000. * 2000 : 6th in Latvian championship, KF2, ICA junior class * 2001 : Latvian champio ...
who competed in German Formula Three in 2008.


Other sports

Many other
sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
and recreational activities are also popular in Latvia. *
Orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...
is a popular sport that combines
cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...
with land
navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
skills in the woods. Orienteering in Latvia is organized by the Latvijas Orientēšanās Federācija. * Amateur Radio Direction Finding is a sport that combines the skills of
orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...
with the skills of radio direction finding. ARDF in Latvia is organized by the Latvijas Radioamatieru Līga. *
Martins Dukurs Martins Dukurs (born 31 March 1984) is a Latvian skeleton racer who has competed since 1998. He is a six-time world champion in men's skeleton, a double Olympic silver winner (at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014), and the athlete with the most ...
is currently the top male
skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of an animal. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside ...
athlete in the world, having won all but one of the FIBT World Cup events in 2011-2012 and is the three-time defending World Cup champion. *
Oskars Melbārdis Oskars Melbārdis (born 16 February 1988) is a former Latvian bobsledder who has competed since 2006. He is the most successful bobsledder in the history of his country, having won one gold and two bronze Olympic medals. He also earned the first- ...
won the combined
Bobsleigh World Cup The Bobsleigh World Cup is an annual bobsleigh competitions. It has taken place since the 1984 Winter Olympics. Below is a lists of season champions. Each table shows the country and driver only. Combined men's Debuted: 1985. Medal table Two- ...
as a driver in the 2012-13 season, after initially entering the sport as a brakeman for
Jānis Miņins Jānis Miņins (born 15 August 1980 in Kuldīga) is a Latvian bobsledder who has competed since 1999. He won a bronze medal in the four-man event at the FIBT World Championships 2009 in Lake Placid, New York, earning the country its first champ ...
. *Lugers
Juris The Juris were a tribe of South American Indigenous people, formerly occupying the country between the rivers Içá (lower Putumayo) and Yapura, north-western Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Por ...
and
Andris Šics Andris Šics (born 12 May 1985) is a Latvian luger. He competed in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, and won a silver medal in the men's doubles event in 2010 and two bronze medals in 2014, alongside his teammate and elder brother Juris Š ...
won a silver at the
2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
and two bronze medals at the
2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
. The Šics brothers' three medals mean they have won more Olympic medals than any other Latvian sportsperson. * Latvia national bandy team played in Division A both at the 2015 Bandy World Championship and the 2016 tournament. In terms of licensed athletes, bandy is the second biggest winter sport in the world. *For the first time, Latvia will feature a national team at the 2022
Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships The Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships (U-19) are held separately for men and women every four years to award world championships for the under-19 age group in men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse. The tournaments are sanctioned by World Lacrosse ...
. *Latvia featured a men's national team in
beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...
that competed at the 2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.


Gallery

Gallery of famous Latvian sportspeople


See also

* Latvia at the Olympics *
List of Latvians in the NHL See also

*List of Latvians in the Kontinental Hockey League Lists of National Hockey League players, Latvian players Lists of Latvian sportspeople, ice hockey ...


References


External links


Latvian Basketball Association

Latvian Football Federation

Latvian Ice Hockey Federation
{{Sport in Europe Latvia at the Olympics *Latvia