The 23rd international curling tournament, the Ventspils Cup 2026, concluded on Sunday, August 24, at the Ventspils Olympic Center ice hall, with Ukrainian entries claiming the top honors in the annual competition, according to official tournament reports.
Eighteen teams featuring athletes from Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, Ukraine, and Latvia gathered for three days of round-robin and playoff action to open the competitive curling calendar. Following initial group stages, the field split into Gold and Silver brackets. The premier Ventspils Cup titles ultimately went to Ukraine’s men’s squad—comprising Hennadii Stasiuk, Roman Yefanov, Mykhailo Pleskanka, and Vadim Marchenko—and the mixed team consisting of Tetiana Hlyvka, Vasyl Yatseviuk, Oleksandr Hats, and coach Arnis Veidemanis.
The victory halted a run by the reigning champions, Latvia’s junior national team TKK/Zass skipped by Eduards Seliverstovs, who had captured the tournament title for each of the previous three years. The junior side settled for the bronze cup this season.
Title Decider and Bracket Standings
The tournament championship was decided in a head-to-head matchup between the two competing Ukrainian entries in the Gold bracket. Entering the final encounter, the men’s team held four wins and 19 won ends, while the mixed squad recorded three victories and 18 won ends. Under tournament regulations, identical points totals combined with a superior end count favored the men’s side. Despite the mixed team winning the direct match 5–4, the men’s squad secured first place overall.
Behind the podium finishers, the Gold bracket featured strong international and domestic competition. Riga’s Plāns C, skipped by Jānis Rudzītis, finished fourth, while the multinational Ice Ice Maybe lineup—featuring players from Estonia, Latvia, and Ukraine under Estonian coach Erkki Lill—claimed fifth place. Ritvars Gulbis guided his team to sixth, followed by Norway’s MIZ Norway skipped by Dan Korneli in seventh. The top-tier standings rounded out with Ansis Regža’s young squad Boss un minioni, Ineta Mača’s multi-season champion team ForUs, and V-Faktors, which included Lithuanian player Donatas Kludys alongside local Ventspils competitors Dace Ābelīte, Sonora Salmiņa, Inga Apmane, and Markuss Salmiņš.
Silver Bracket Results and Local Organization
In the Silver bracket, Talsu kērlinga klubs team Slīdi, mazulīt, skipped by Raimonds Vaivods, secured first place. The Ukrainian lineup Curl coffee team, skipped by Mykyta Velychko, finished second, while the Ventspils Curling Club team Kaleidoskops—featuring Gunta Millere, Santa Blumberga-Bērziņa, Aija Rudzīte, Agita Puriņa, and Lia Ālīte—took third.
Organizers from the Ventspils Curling Club acknowledged the support of the Ventspils City Municipality, the Ventspils Freeport Authority, and the Ventspils Olympic Center. Competitors praised the quality of the ice prepared by club members, including Dace Ābelīte, Andis Cirvelis, Markuss Salmiņš, Andris Lasmanis, and club juniors Rihards Janbergs and Ričards Cirvelis.
With the conclusion of the tournament, the 2026–2027 curling season in Latvia is officially underway, with full match results archived through the Ventspils Curling Club’s official channels.
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