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“You are a dream team, you managed to accomplish the impossible. Bear the Latvian flag with honour, we know that this is just the beginning," said Speaker of the Saeima Edvards Smiltēns, on Monday, 29 May, in a solemn ceremony held in the Riga Castle welcoming Latvian men’s hockey team — bronze medal winners of the 2023 World Ice Hockey Championship.

“You have changed our society,” said E.Smiltēns, noting that hockey fans in the arena were loud every time the Latvian team scored, twice as loud when the goal was lost, and triple-loud when the team had to struggle shorthanded. “This is a Latvian code — to help in a difficult moment, to support each other — this is how our small nation can survive,” said the Speaker of the Saeima.

The Speaker of the Saeima stressed that there were thousands of children and adults at the Freedom Monument from across Latvia who came to celebrate the hockey team. E.Smiltēns urged hockey players to visit schools and show the Latvian youths that everything is possible if you work hard, if you develop your talents, and if you have a perfect team. “You are a role model for young people, an inspiration to achieve excellence,” said E.Smiltēns.

Among the other supporters at the Freedom Monument in Riga, Latvian men’s hockey team was welcomed by the Presidium and Members of the Saeima, who expressed their gratitude for their excellent performance.

On Sunday, Latvian ice hockey players won bronze medals of the World Ice Hockey Championship in Tampere, Finland, for the first time in history. This was the first time the Latvian national team reached the semi-finals of the world championship.

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Saeima Press Service