The Estonian newspaper “Postimees” writes about the athletes of the Latvian Olympic team, especially highlighting the biathlete Edgar Misi.
Edgars Mise, who previously had dual citizenship, has renounced his Russian citizenship and will represent Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, joining the Latvian Olympic delegation.
The working group established by the executive committee of the Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK) evaluated the information about the Mass. During the investigation, the athlete was interrogated, information was gathered from the relevant sports federations, as well as publicly available data and his activities on social networks were analyzed, “Postimees” writes. The report indicated that Mis had Russian citizenship and that his parents still live in the neighboring country. However, several years ago (in 2022, “nra.lv” ed.) the athlete renounced his dual citizenship and is now only a citizen of Latvia. Last year, while visiting family, Mise received a humanitarian visa, which is issued in exceptional cases. After this trip, the Latvian Biathlon Federation (LBF) called on the athlete to be more careful about his actions and public statements, considering that he represents Latvia. After this incident and the warning received, the athlete has started to think more carefully about his actions and public communication in order to avoid the publication of false or misleading reports. Therefore, he no longer traveled to Russia and refused to give interviews to the Russian media during international competitions. “We approached this issue very carefully and evaluated various aspects, which allowed us to make an informed and confident decision. During the interview, the athlete communicated with us in Latvian, and we did not notice any actions or statements that would indicate a positive attitude towards the aggressor country.
We are sure that his family fully supports his participation in the Games as part of the Latvian delegation,” said Jānis Liepiņš, vice-president of the LOK Sports Committee. The Olympic Committee also approved the participation of speed skater Reiņš Bērziņš and figure skater Fedor Kuliš, who needed additional medical examinations. Latvia will be represented at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in biathlon, bobsleigh, figure skating, cross-country skiing, hockey, in alpine skiing, luge and skeleton.In addition to 65 athletes, the delegation includes coaches, support staff, doctors and physiotherapists, media and content teams, delegation management and officials – a total of 137 people.
