Latvia Biathlon Youth & Jr. World Championships

The Latvian American Chamber of Commerce (LACC) is proud to support the Latvian Biathlon Federation by helping to raise money so we can send our young competitors to the 2022 Biathlon Youth & Jr. World Championships in Soldier Hollow, UT from February 21-March 3, 2022. This initiative is best described by Juris Pīpkalējs the Executive Board Member of the Latvian Biathlon Federation:

For the Latvian Biathlon Federation there’s nothing more important than fostering our junior athletes in the world of biathlon. However, we wouldn’t be able to support our team of six young people without the help of Latvians and biathlon supporters from around the world. We are looking for any and all support to send our Latvian National Junior Biathlon Team to the 2022 Biathlon Youth & Jr. World Championships in Soldier Hollow, UT from February 21 to March 3, 2022. The Latvian National Junior Biathlon Team members- Sanita Buliņa, Sandra Buliņa, Renārs Birkentāls, Kirils Matjuhins, Inese Golubeva, Līva Šahno - are hoping to take part in the Jr. World Championships, accompanied by their team coach - Māris Čakars and ski technicians - Intars Spalviņš and Arvis Liepiņš.

The emergence of this next generation of Latvian biathlon athletes has become even more pronounced this season through their strong performance. The Latvian National Junior Biathlon Team’s development and success is prerequisite for the longevity of the biathlon sport and its traditions in Latvia. A modern biathlon training facility has already been built in Latvia, and this has positively impacted the team’s training process and greatly promotes our sport in general. We’re proud to say that the Federation has worked hard for several years in order to host the IBU European Junior Championships in 2023 in Madona, Latvia - the first ever biathlon competition at this level taking place in Latvia.

The Latvian National Junior Biathlon Team has grown strong by working tirelessly. We have been able to attract professional coaches and ski technicians and to invest in the training and development of the athletes. In the meantime, obtaining additional financial resources to ensure quality preparation for and participation in competitions is an ongoing issue. Our elite Latvian biathlon athletes will participate in the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February and therefore our upcoming season is already very special. However, we want to make the season special also for our junior athletes, who must have an equal opportunity to have a full competition season with an opportunity to be exposed to elite-like competition experience: the 2022 Biathlon Youth & Jr. World Championships. The expenses for this special goal to ensure Latvian National Junior Biathlon Team’ s participation in the U.S. World Championships constitutes a total of 35K EUR (40K USD) to cover pre-competition and competition period including costs for training, technical support, championship fees, and per diem. We greatly appreciate your supporting us with this GoFundMe campaign or in finding sponsorship for the Latvian young athletes’ participation in the U.S. World Championship. We thank you in advance for helping the next generation of athletes and promoting biathlon in Latvia.