The Daugavpils Youth Affairs and Sports Administration announces with deep respect and pain in the heart that on December 9, Vilhelms Stepanovs passed away – athlete, organizer of sports life and a long-term pillar of Daugavpils sports development.
Vilhelms Stepanovs was born on December 15, 1934 in Daugavpils. Already in his school years, his life was closely connected with sports – basketball, which later became his professional vocation and life’s work. In 1952, he was included in the Latvian youth national team, but after graduating from the Institute of Physical Culture, he returned to his hometown, where he devoted tens of years to sports development, education and organizational work.
He built his professional career as a coach, pedagogue, instructor and sports administrator, working at BSB “Daugava”, BSB “Lokomotīve”, educational institutions and universities. From 1992 to 2001, Vilhelms Stepanovs headed the Daugavpils Physical Culture and Sports Committee. During this time, important and important infrastructure projects for the city were implemented – the Ice Hall was built, the first artificial surface was laid in the stadium “Esplanade”, as well as the stadium “Celtnieks” was reconstructed.
Even after retiring, he maintained an active participation in sports life, leading the Daugavpils basketball club founded in 1993 for many years, sharing his experience, giving advice and supporting the new generation. In 2015, Vilhelm Stepanov was awarded the Daugavpils municipality award “For Lifetime Contribution” for his lifetime contribution to sports.
The Daugavpils Youth Affairs and Sports Administration expresses its deep gratitude to Vilhelm Stepanov for his invaluable contribution to the development of Daugavpils and Latvian sports, for his professionalism, responsibility and selfless work over several generations. His contribution will remain in the sports history of Daugavpils and in people’s memories.
We express our deepest condolences to the family, relatives, colleagues and the entire Daugavpils sports family.
The information was prepared
Daugavpils state city municipalities
Department of Public Relations
