The competition is organised by the sport club Speedway Grand prix of Latvia, with the support of Rietumu Bank.
Daugavpils – the second biggest city in Latvia – has been well-known in the world of motor racing since the mid 20
th century. For a number of years, European and international competitions have been held at the Locomotive Stadium, which is recognised as one of the best speedway tracks in Europe.
This year the Daugavpils speedway club, which is a permanent organiser of the competitions, will celebrate its 50
th jubilee, and this anniversary coincides with the arrangement of the most spectacular motor race in Latvia, which gathers together a lot of spectators and attracts fans from different countries. The Championship Finals, held in Daugavpils, will be broadcasted by a number of TV channels, including Eurosport, in 160 countries.
‘The arrangement of the World Championship Finals in Daugavpils is evidence of the fact that Latvia, along with Italy, France, Sweden and New Zealand, is one of the leading centres of speedway in the world,’ says the Head of the Speedway Grand prix of Latvia Vladimir Rybnikov. ‘I am also very glad that our sportsmen are in good shape – the Latvian team has recently taken sixth place at the World Championship round in the Czech Republic, and I am sure that our sportsmen will also perform well at the Daugavpils competitions. I would like to express my gratitude to all those who support sport events and who make it possible to arrange such big competitions – including our long-term partner Rietumu Bank and the Latvian government, which for the first time this year, is providing financing for the event.’
At present, speedway, being one of the ‘visiting cards’ of Daugavpils, is experiencing an explosion of interest not only on the part of sport fans, but also tourists from Europe and Russia. This ‘land of blue lakes’, due to its unique nature and wonderful ecology, attracts increasingly more tourists from abroad, who come here for recreation, and provides a worthy supplement to Riga and Jurmala.
The Mayor of Daugavpils Janis Lacplesis, commenting on the forthcoming event, notes: ‘The Speedway World Championship Finals is another excellent opportunity for presenting our region on an international scale, attracting the interest of tourists and the foreign press; it is a good impulse for development. As for speedway, we can be proud; not only of its rich history here, but also of the fact that, in contrast to other centres in the post-Soviet area, we have managed to retain both continuity and the school. Even during the hardest times young people could engage in speedway for free in our city. There is also a significant social aspect – such a kind of sport attracts active, even potentially aggressive boys, and becomes their favourite pursuit or even vocation. It was with good reason when for instance in Denmark, a decision was taken to develop speedway in the entire country on the state level exactly in order to attract young people to this sport.’
Deputy Chairman of the Rietumu Bank Council Arkady Suharenko in turn emphasised, ‘The forthcoming competitions are one of the most significant sport events supported by our bank this year. It is clear for me, who was doing sport extensively and profoundly, how important sport is for moulding one’s character, training dedication, striving towards the result and developing the ability to achieve it – especially at a young age, when personality formation takes place. And speedway is popular exactly among young people. When taking a decision about the support, we also took the importance of this event for Daugavpils into consideration. It is nice to see how much has been done here during recent years – the Mark Rotko art centre has been opened, a tourist infrastructure is developing, as well as international commerce. All of these are undoubtedly beneficial to this unique area of Latvia and Europe, where Latvian, Latgalian, Russian, Jewish, Polish and Belorussian cultures coexist smoothly, and increasingly more guests of our country are opening it for themselves.’
The forthcoming competitions in Daugavpils will be accompanied by sport and festive events to commemorate the 50
th anniversary of the speedway movement.
A special spectacular programme is scheduled, with the participation of about 800 bikers from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and other countries. A parade of Latvian speedway veterans on retro motorcycles will take place as a separate event. The festivity will be concluded with a big rock concert.
As one of the organisers of the preparation of the world championship round in Daugavpils Maris Susejs notes, ‘An enormous interest in the forthcoming event is felt; there is a lack of vacant rooms in local hotels. Our organising team is doing everything possible to accommodate guests comfortably, to secure a high level of the competitions, create good conditions for the work of journalists, as well as prepare an impressive entertainment programme. It will be a wonderful holiday for the city and an important event for the region and the entire country.’
Eleonora Gailisha Mass Media and Public Relations
Phone: +371-67020506
Fax: +371-67020563
E-mail:
egailisha@rietumu.lv
