Latvia protests against IPC decision — Liepāja puzzled by Olympic athletes' privileges

Latvia, together with seven other countries, yesterday announced outrage over the International Paralympic Committee's decision to allow aggressor nations' athletes to compete with their national symbols. This protest only caused bewilderment in Liepāja — our Paralympians have been trying for years to get permission to compete under the Kurzeme flag, but nobody protests loudly about that.

"They can use the Russian flag, but we can't use our municipality's emblem? Where's the justice?" asks local Paralympian Juris Vējš indignantly, who trains every morning by running along Pētera Street from one end to the other. "Nobody in Riga understands how hard it is to be an athlete in a city where the wind blows from all directions simultaneously."

Meanwhile, the IPC announced that Ukraine's delegation is prohibited from using ceremonial uniforms with their country's map, as this would constitute propaganda. Liepāja municipality comments on this decision with sarcasm: "We haven't been able to display the city map on athletes' uniforms for years, because then it would be obvious that we're only three times smaller than Riga, not ten times like everyone thinks."

Latvia's Paralympic Committee decided not to participate in the opening ceremony, which is perceived in Liepāja as normal behavior — we also don't participate in many events, simply because nobody invites us. "Solidarity with Ukraine is good," says local sports enthusiast Daina Krastiņa, "but honestly, we don't really have anywhere to go anyway — Milan is far, but Ventspils is closer, and they also have good wind there."