“The success of the Latvian national team was probably the best thing that has happened to hockey in several years,” said the sports journalist of Finland’s largest media “Ilta-Sanomat” about the bronze medals won by the team led by Harija Vītoliņš in the world championship. City Touru. “Usually the medals are shared by the same countries, but finally we had a new freshness in this regard. And the best thing is that it is obvious how much these bronze medals mean to Latvia. For example, when Canada wins the gold of the world championship, it doesn’t really surprise anyone and basically not interested either. Let’s be honest, it’s boring. On the other hand, the Latvian carnival was great.”
On the other hand, the hockey journalist of the Slovak media “Pravda”. Michal Bakaj called the success of the Latvian national team fully deserved: “The Latvian national team showed great team spirit, determination and endurance, as well as its desire to please its fans was visible. Of course, if a sports team wants success, it needs a dose of luck. We hope that this success will bring a new kick for the growth of young hockey players.”
To the question of what kind of attention the Latvian hockey story received in Finland, the host country of the World Cup, Touru offered a broader answer: “Hockey is a small sport globally. I think there are only three countries where hockey is the most popular sport – Canada, Finland and Latvia. Latvia has never has been an enemy of Finland – neither in hockey nor in any other sense. Many in Finland see Latvian hockey as their little brother, whom they wish success to.”
“In previous years, the Finnish hockey team has won practically everything they could. This year, the tournament in Finland had a different flavor, it seemed that there was no longer the same passion as in previous years. Fortunately, Latvia saved interest in the tournament. The Finns were generally interested in how the Latvian the sensational success story,” stated the sports journalist of “Ilta-Sanomat”.
“In my opinion, many Finns feel that Latvian hockey is like our year 1995,” he continued. “And we’re happy about it. That year, Finland won the world championship gold for the first time, and it was complete chaos. It’s the biggest sporting success in Finnish history, and even now, 28 years later, people remember what happened in Stockholm in the legendary May 1995. “
The journalist of the Slovak media “Pravda” Bakajs also pointed out in a similar way: “After the Slovakian national team did not advance, many Slovak fans began to sympathize with Latvia. This national team reminded them of the 2002 Olympic Games, when Slovakia already had the status of the finalists, but they were also eliminated in the games. Both teams won bronze medals in the end. Latvians played matches full of fighting spirit, and many Slovak fans knew how to appreciate it.”
“Yes, some fans are angry about how the end of the group tournament unfolded,” said Bakajs about the fact that it was because of Latvia that Slovakia, who won the head-to-head match, was left behind, but due to other failures, they were forced to wait for help from Switzerland in the last match of the group tournament. which was not expected. “People were angry with Switzerland for not fielding the strongest line-up against Latvia, which in the end led to the fact that Latvia went further than Slovakia. But I think that most Slovakian fans correctly understood that our national team did not deserve to be eliminated this time games, because the competitors were simply better this year.”
A separate topic, in addition to hockey, was the unexpected arrival of several thousand Latvian fans in Tampere for the medal games. After all, there had to be huge optimism to schedule the Latvian team’s semi-final match in Tampere before the tournament (and even before the quarter-finals), but the rush did not prevent several thousand fans from organizing a quick trip to Finland at the weekend, and special additional flights were also announced.
“I was happy to see how many Latvians came to Tampere,” said Finnish journalist Touru. “By car, by plane, whatever. When the Latvian team arrived in Tampere, the atmosphere of the semifinal and bronze medal match surpassed any Finnish game during the entire tournament. Of course, I say thank you to the passionate Latvian fans!”
“What impressed me the most about Latvian fans in Tampere was how many young women and families with children were among them,” continued Touru. “It was something different from the usual. Usually, drunken old men from abroad come to the world championship. When I saw the many ladies and children among the Latvian fans, I realized how much the success of the hockey team meant to Latvia.”
“Of course, I was surprised how many Latvians came to Tampere in the end, because they couldn’t have foreseen such a trip in advance. But in the end it turned out that all the streets of Tampere were full of Latvians. We already knew that Latvian fans are among the loudest in WC matches for the supporters of the team, but what we saw in Tampere this spring seemed special.”
