Athletes from all around the world are going to be heading for London this week to take part in the upcoming Paralympic Games. The Citadele Bank would like to invite everyone to come to the Rīga airport on Tuesday, August 21, at 12:15 PM, to accompany Latvia’s team as it departs.
Aigars Apinis, who has twice won the paralympic gold medal in discus, won the silver medal at the Paralympic Games four years ago in shot put, and holds two world records, will be departing at 2:15 PM from Rīga. He is going to be seeking new medals in both disciplines. Other paralympians will be departing early on Wednesday morning, but they will also be at the airport on Tuesday, and you will be welcome to come along and wish them strength and durability at the Paralympic Games, because they will be representing Latvia’s name in the world.
Also scheduled to appear at the airport on Tuesday are members of Latvia’s team to the regular Olympic Games. They will pass the baton to their colleagues from the paralympic team. The Citadele Bank will be presenting the paralympians with a fan flag to show that all of Latvia has its collective fingers crossed for success. The flag features photographs of 3,654 fans who posted the “I Am. I Can” icon on their Draugiem, Facebook or Twitter page, thus supporting Latvia’s paralympians and following long with the “You Are. You Can” movement.
The Paralympic Games will be held in London from August 29 until September 9. Latvia’s team has eight athletes who will represent Latvia at this global competition.
Along with Aigars Apinis, members of Latvia’s team include Andis Ozolnieks, who took the bronze medal at the European championship in shot put. Debuting at London will be Rihards Snikuss, who will be competing in dressage, Dmitrijs Silovs (long jump), Edgars Kļaviņš (long jump and 200 metre sprint), Jānis Plotnieks (Latvia’s only representative in the area of swimming), and Taiga Kantāne (shot put and discus). Liene Gruzīte took part in the last Paralympic Games, and this year she will be competing at the long jump and discus.
Citadele launched an unprecedented programme of support this year for Latvia’s paralympic team in June of this year, the purpose being to facilitate the development of paralympic sports in Latvia, to attract increasing numbers of differently abled people to sports, and to change public attitudes toward differently abled people and their abilities. The programme involved the “You Are. You Can” movement, which was aimed at supporting Latvia’s paralympic team in London and to facilitate courage and daring among the public at large.