Basketball

Basketball is sometimes regarded the national sport in Latvia. Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 For other uses, see Basketball (disambiguation). ...

Latvia has a long basketball tradition. Latvia won the first European championship in 1935 and hosted the second championship in 1937.

In Soviet period, Latvian men's basketball team, ASK Rīga was dominant in the Soviet League in 1950s and early 1960s, winning several Soviet league championships and three European Champion's Cups, in 1958, 1959 and 1960. In 1960 Summer Olympics, four Latvians, Jānis Krūmiņš, Valdis Muižnieks, Cēzars Ozers and Maigonis Valdmanis were a part of the silver-medal winning Soviet team. Soviet Olympic teams in 1956 and 1964 Summer Olympics had three Latvian players each. The Soviet team in 1952 Summer Olympics had one Latvian. ASK RÄ«ga was the name of several sports teams based in Riga, Latvia. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, were held in 1960 in Rome, Italy. ... The Games of the XVI Olympiad were held in 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, although the equestrian events could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations. ... The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, were held in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. ... The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were held in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. ...

The women's team, TTT Riga was very successful in 1970s and 1980s, winning European Champion's Cup 18 times, more than any other team in any team sport. 2.12 m (7 foot) tall Uljana Semjonova was the women's key player in this period. She was also very dominant with Soviet team in international games, never losing a game in international competitions and winning 2 Olympic and 3 World Championships. Uljana Semjonova (born March 9, 1952 in Daugavpils, Latvia) is a Latvian basketball player. ...

For men's basketball, the guard Valdis Valters was the most highly acclaimed player of 1980s. He won a European Championship with Soviet team in 1981 and was recognized as the MVP of the tournament, but did not get a chance to play in Olympics, because of the Soviet boycott of 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles which coincided with Valter's best playing years. Another Latvia, Igors Miglinieks won gold with the Soviet team four years later, in 1988 Summer Olympics. Has coached most talented palyers in Latvian basketball history. ... Audio samples composed by John Williams: Olympic Fanfare (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Olympic Theme (1985) ( file info) 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles Problems playing the files? See media help. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ...

Latvia returned to international competition as an independent country in 1992. The qualifiers of 1992 Summer Olympics were the first tournament for Latvia's team. A major controversy was caused by two Latvian players, Igors Miglinieks and Gundars Vētra. They had a choice of either playing for the Unified Team which was certain to qualify for Olympics or Latvian national team which had a chance but was not certain to qualify. The two players chose to play for Unified Team and Latvian team, playing without them, failed to qualify for Olympics. This caused a long resentment in Latvia and the two players never played for Latvia in an international game. The Games of the XXV Olympiad were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... Gundars VÄ“tra (born May 22, 1967 in Ventspils, Latvia) is former professional basketball player. ... The Unified Team was the name used for the sports team of the former Soviet Union at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games of 1992 (in Albertville and Barcelona, respectively). ...

After the country regaining independence, the most successful tournament for Latvia was 2001 European Championships when the Latvian team finished in the 8th place. The center/power forward Kaspars Kambala 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 2004, Ventspils team won its fifth consecutive championship. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Gundars Vētra became the first Latvian in NBA when he briefly played in Minnesota Timberwolves for 13 games in 1993. Andris Biedriņš was drafted in 2004 NBA Draft with 11th pick by Golden State Warriors and has already played 1 season, becoming the second Latvian to play in NBA. Biedrins is youngest Latvian millionaire who has earned all money himself. He was also the youngest player in NBA in his first season - 2004/05. The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... The Minnesota Timberwolves are a National Basketball Association team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... Andris Biedriņš (born April 2, 1986 in Riga, Latvia) is a professional basketball player. ... 2004 NBA Draft - 24 June 2004 See also: List of NBA Drafts, NBA Draft After the completion of the regular season, Emeka Okafor was named Rookie of the Year, while Ben Gordon earned the Sixth Man Award, becoming the first rookie in NBA history to do so. ... The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. ...

External links:

• Latvian Basketball Association
• Latvian Football Federations

Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey is considered to be the most popular sport in Latvia. Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ...

Ice hockey has been played in Latvia since 1920s. Latvia was a member of International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), its national team participated in several World Championships and 1936 Winter Olympic Games. After Latvia was occupied by Soviet Union in 1940, its membership in IIHF was interrupted. Latvians had a significant role in establishing ice hockey in Soviet Union. Latvia's Dinamo Riga team was one of eleven teams which played in the first Soviet championship tournament in 1946/1947 winter. Latvian Harijs Mellups was the goalkeeper for the Soviet Union National team in its first international game in 1948. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Social issues of the 1920s. ... The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was founded in 1908 and is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. ... Categories: Ice hockey stubs | Ice hockey ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Dinamo Riga was an ice hockey club in Riga, Latvia. ...

Latvian hockey experienced a decline in 1960s, with Dinamo Riga 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 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 Riga returned to the Elite League where it stayed until the end of Soviet Union in 1991. Victor Vasilevich Tikhonov (Russian: , born June 04, 1930) is a prominent Russian ice hockey player and coach. ...

In 1975, Viktor Hatulev of Dinamo Riga became the first ice hockey player from the Soviet Union drafted by the National Hockey League 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 1970s and 1980s, and retained 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 World Championships on other occasions (1978, 1979 and 1983). Balderis was named the best forward of 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship. Despite his continuing high scoring results, he was not selected to the Soviet National team for 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 with the Olympic gold medal. Goalkeepers Vitālijs Samoilovs and Artūrs Irbe also starred for the Soviet team in the 1980s, Irbe was the best goalkeeper of the 1990 Ice Hockey World Championship. Samoilovs was the winning goaltender at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. The NHL Entry Draft is the mechanism in the NHL for teams to select the rights to prospective players. ... The modernized NHL shield logo debuted in 2005, replacing the orange and black shield, which had been used since the leagues inception. ... Helmuts Balderis (born July 31, 1952 in Riga, Latvia, then USSR) is a retired Latvian ice hockey player. ... The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team celebrates the goal that led them to victory over the USSR. The Miracle on Ice is the popular nickname for the mens ice hockey game in the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, in which a team of amateur and collegiate players from the... The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. ... ArtÅ«rs Irbe (born February 2, 1967 in Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian ice hockey goaltender, currently with Detroit red wings. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A runner carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games or the Olympic Winter Games, are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. ...

The best season for Dinamo Riga came in 1987/1988, the first season when the Soviet Elite League instituted an NHL-style playoff system. Dinamo Riga finished third in the regular season and upset Dynamo Moscow in semifinals, before losing to CSKA Moscow, the perennial Soviet champions of the 1980s, in the finals. A playoff in sports (North American professional sports in particular) is a game or series of games played after the regular season is over with the goal of determining a league champion. ...

After Latvia regained independence in 1991, Latvia restored its membership in IIHF and Latvian national team returned to international competitions. As a new team, they were initially placed in the C Pool (third division) of 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 has been the 7th place in 1997 and 2004. 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 archrival Russia twice (in 2000 and 2003). Latvia has also competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics, finishing 9th. Categories: Ice hockey stubs | Ice hockey ... The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ...

As of 2005, thirteen Latvian ice hockey players have played in NHL. The first of them was Helmuts Balderis, who came to play in Minnesota North Stars team at the age of 36 in the 1989-90 season .Sandis Ozoliņš, Artūrs Irbe, Sergey Zholtok and Kārlis Skrastiņš have been the most successful ones. Ozoliņš is the only Latvian to win the Stanley Cup, in the 1995-96 season with the Colorado Avalanche. Ozoliņš and Irbe have played in NHL All-Star Games. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The modernized NHL shield logo debuted in 2005, replacing the orange and black shield, which had been used since the leagues inception. ... Helmuts Balderis (born July 31, 1952 in Riga, Latvia, then USSR) is a retired Latvian ice hockey player. ... The Minnesota North Stars were a team in the National Hockey League between 1967 and 1993. ... The 1989-90 NHL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Hockey League. ... Sandis Ozoliņš (born August 3, 1972 in Riga, Latvia) nicknamed Ozo is a Latvian ice hockey player, currently playing for the New York Rangers of the NHL. Sandis Ozolinsh was drafted in 1991 by the San Jose Sharks, as the 30th pick in the 2nd round. ... Sergei Zholtok (and signature) Sergei Zholtok (Latvian: Sergejs Žoltoks, Russian: Сергей Жолток) (Born December 2, 1972 in Riga, Latvia (then USSR); died November 3, 2004) was a Latvian (ethnic Russian) professional ice hockey player. ... Karlis Skrastins (born July 7, 1974 in Riga, Latvia) is an NHL ice hockey defensemen currently playing for Colorado Avalanche. ... Stanley Cup on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame The Stanley Cup, originally called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, is awarded each year by the National Hockey League to the champion of its playoff tournament. ... The 1995-96 NHL season was the 79th regular season of the National Hockey League. ... The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. ... An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their respective sports league. ...

2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was held in Latvia. The 2006 Mens Ice Hockey Championships was held in May, 2006 in Riga, Latvia. ...

External links

• Latvian Ice Hockey Federation
• Ice-hockey page, where you can also watch Arena Riga building

Soccer

Soccer was most popular sport in Latvia during first independence (1918-1940). Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ...

Latvian national team participated in final stage of 2004 European Football Championship. The leading scorer of Latvian national soccer team is Maris Verpakovskis. See also: Latvia national football team Euro 2004 Logo The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly called Euro 2004, was held in Portugal between 12 June and 4 July 2004. ... Māris Verpakovskis (born October 15, 1979) is a striker who plays for the Latvia national football team. ... First International Latvia 1 - 1 Estonia (Riga, Latvia; 24 September 1922) Largest win Estonia 1 - 8 Latvia (Tallinn, Estonia; 18 August 1942) Worst defeat Sweden 12 - 0 Latvia (Stockholm, Sweden; 29 May 1927) World Cup Appearances none (First in -) Best result - European Championship Appearances 1 (First in 2004) Best result...

External links:

• Latvian Football Federation

Athletics

Latvian athletes have achieved medals in Olympics and European/World championships. Most recently Vadims Vasilevskis with a silver medal in the men's Javelin throw at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and Stanislavs Olijars, a European Championships silver medalist in 2002 in the 110 m hurdles. . Vadims Vasiļevskis (born January 5, 1982) is a Latvian athlete, a silver medalist of 2004 Summer Olympics in javelin throw. ... A high school athlete throwing the javelin. ... The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, commonly known as the 2004 Summer Olympics were the 28th Summer Olympic Games. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Staņislavs Olijars (born March 22, 1979 in Krievija, Celabinska) is a Latvian athlete mainly competing in the 110 metres hurdles. ... The 110m Hurdles are an Olympic track and field athletics discipline run by men. ...

Other Sports

Many other sports and recreational activities are also popular in Latvia.

• Orienteering is a popular sport that combines cross-country running with land navigation skills in the woods. Orienteering in Latvia is organized by the Latvijas Orientesanas Federacija.

• Amateur Radio Direction Finding is a sport that combines the skills of orienteering with the skills of radio direction finding. ARDF in Latvia is organized by the Latvias Radioamatieru Liga.