On January 8, a ceremonial event at the VEF Culture Palace saw the presentation of the “Riga Sports Laureate 2025” awards, honoring the capital’s top athletes, coaches, and teams, as well as announcing the most significant sporting event of the year.
“I wholeheartedly congratulate all the winners! Riga is a city that stays active all year round and enjoys hosting both major and smaller sporting events. It was a special honor for me to present the award for Sports Event of the Year, which this year was awarded to the Latvian Basketball Association for the high-quality organization of EuroBasket 2025. It was a strong international event that demonstrated the unifying power of basketball and Riga’s ability to host top-level competitions,” emphasized Riga City Council Chairman Viesturs Kleinbergs.
The special award in the category “Lifetime Contribution to Sport” was presented to basketball coach Jānis Rimbenieks, whose many years of work have made a significant contribution to the development of Latvian basketball.
The title of Riga Sportsman of the Year 2025 was awarded to athlete Valters Kreišs, while the Riga Sportswoman of the Year title went to athlete Anete Sietiņa. In the “Riga Parasports Athlete of the Year” category, athlete Aigars Apinis was honored, while the Riga Parasports Sportswoman of the Year award was presented to Diāna Krūmiņa.
In the category “Riga Team of the Year in Team Sports,” the award went to hockey club Mogo/RSU.
Upon receiving the award, club president Māris Martinsons highlighted the importance of teamwork:
“The award we have received is a high recognition for the entire team, because team sports are like a precise mechanism—if one of its components does not function, the whole process stops. Success is only possible through close teamwork in the fullest sense of the word, where the contribution of each member is crucial to achieving the overall result.”
In the category “Riga Team of the Year in Individual Sports,” the award was given to beach volleyball players Kristians Fokerots and Mārtiņš Pļaviņš.
The “Rising Star in Sport” award was presented to BMX cyclist Kristers Apels, while the title of Riga Coach of the Year was awarded to athletics coach Gints Palameiks.
The Sports Event of the Year was declared to be the European Basketball Championship, EuroBasket 2025.
All laureates received glass awards created by glass artist Ilze Dūdiņa, as well as Certificates of Recognition and Honorary Commendations from the Riga municipality. The awards ceremony was hosted by sports journalist Dāvids Ernštreits and actress Agnese Budovska.
This year marked the thirteenth time the “Riga Sports Laureate” awards have been presented, reaffirming a lasting tradition of recognizing the capital’s best athletes, coaches, and teams for outstanding achievements, professionalism, and contributions to the development of sport in Riga.
(Translated using artificial intellect tool)
