Latvian winter athletes ready to compete for medals at Beijing 2022 Olympics

RIGA, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian Olympic Committee (LOC) has approved the Baltic country's national team of 57 athletes for the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, LOC President Zorzs Tikmers told Xinhua on Wednesday.

At the Beijing Olympics, Latvian athletes will be competing in 11 disciplines. Including coaches, medical staff and team managers, the Latvian team will be 117-strong, the LOC chief said.

Asked about expectations for the Latvian athletes' performance at the Beijing Olympics, Tikmers said that in some disciplines the prospects of Latvians are clearly promising and that some athletes have already shown spectacular results this season.

Latvia has all reasons to hope for excellent performance and Olympic medals in disciplines like luge, bobsleigh and skeleton. "In these disciplines, our athletes and teams are among those who will be competing for the top results," Tikmers said.

The LOC president also noted that Latvia have qualified for the sixth Olympic ice hockey competitions and that all in all, athletes are determined to demonstrate their best performance in Beijing.

Tikmers also noted that apart from the athletes, their coaches, medics and other support staff, there are also Latvian experts involved in preparing the sports facilities like the bobsleigh track.