The Lithuanian weight lifting federation is planning to organize an international strongman competition. "We take much pride in our physical shape, therefore, we'd like to host an international championships," said the world's strongest athlete, Zydrunas Savickas. Top-ranking weight lifters from across the globe will gather for the Lithuanian Grand Prix in Marijampole on Aug. 19. The competition is included in the World Grand Prix's agenda, which means results will influence the overall World Grand Prix ranking. The Lithuanian federation plans to organize a second international contest in Klaipeda a few days later.
Sports ministers from the Baltic and Nordic countries will meet in Riga May 20-21 to discuss sports cooperation and training possibilities for Latvian sports experts in Finland. "Finland holds the leading position in many spheres, including sports. Sports volunteers are just one example. One in 10 people in Finland volunteer to help organize both large and small competitions without getting any pay for it. Volunteer work is the basis of the national sports policy," said Latvian Education and Science Ministry state secretary for sports Edgars Sneps. Latvia is planning to present its Olympic project "Footprints" during the meeting.
Members of Lithuania's parliament have won the World Parliamentarians' Marathon for a second time. MPs Vytautas Galvonas, Algirdas Sysas, Algis Caplikas and Gediminas Jakavonis won gold medals in the Fourth World Parliamentarians' Marathon in Krakow on May 7. This year, the team was joined by Galvonas, who finished in first place in the marathon. Sysas finished second, Caplikas third and Jakavonis fifth. Parliamentarians from 11 countries competed in the 21-kilometer race.
Latvian ex-president Guntis Ulmanis, who heads the executive body responsible for organizing the World Ice Hockey Championship, expressed regret over fans who disrupted the game between Latvia and Canada by throwing objects onto the ice. Ulmanis said the incident undermined Latvia's reputation as the championship's organizer. Although he questioned the referee's decision to call several penalties against Latvia, Ulmanis said the spectators had chosen the worst possible way to react. "They had to do it differently -- either by keeping silent or by leaving the arena, the referee then would have been left to play it out alone. But they chose the most objectionable way,"
