The Latvian government has arranged for purchase around 20,000 tickets to the 2006 World Ice hockey Championship in Riga that will be distributed among school students so that they would also be able to attend the championship games.
According to Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis, the government had agreed with the Latvian Hockey Federation that 20,000 tickets for school students could be purchased at the price of two lats a piece, even though the retail price is 30 lats (EUR 43).
School students will be able to attend those world championship games, for which there is no much demand among the spectators, such as matches between Ukraine and Sweden or the United States and Norway.
The premier pointed out that this practice was used in many world countries, including the Olympic games in Turin.
The Education and Science Ministry will be made responsible for distribution of the tickets and arrangements for transporting students from schools in rural areas to Riga where the championship games will take place.
