The largest Latvian team ever—including 57 athletes and 14 coaches—has been confirmed by the Latvian Olympic Committee for participation in 20th Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

The committee announced the selection during a Jan. 25 press conference in Rīga. (The International Olympic Committee allowed Latvia one more spot on Feb. 6, adding shorttrack skating to the country’s list of sports and bumping the total number of athletes to 58.)

In all, the delegation will consist of 98 individuals. Besides the athletes and coaches, the delegation is to include nine medical personnel, 11 administrative and technical workers, and six guests of honor.

The Winter Olympics are scheduled Feb. 10-26.

The Latvian competitors going to Torino include:

• Biathalon athletes Jānis Bērziņš, Anžela Brice, Ilmārs Bricis, Gerda Krūmiņa, Kristaps Lībietis, Madara Līduma, Edgars Piksons, Linda Savļaka and Raivis Zīmelis.
• Bobsled athletes Mihails Arhipovs, Māris Bogdanovs, Intars Dīcmanis, Daumants Dreiškens, Gatis Gūts, Jānis Miņins, Jānis Ozols, Ainārs Podnieks, Reinis Rozītis and Mārcis Rullis.
• Skeleton athletes Martins Dukurs.
• Luge athletes Aiva Aparjode, Kaspars Dumpis, Anna Orlova, Guntis Rēķis, Mārtiņš Rubenis, Andris Šics, Juris Šics and Maija Tīruma.
• Alpine skiers Ivars Ciaguns and Renārs Doršs.
• Cross-country skiers Oļegs Andrejevs,Valts Eiduks, Oļegs Maļuhins and Intars Spalviņš.
• Hockey players Ģirts Ankipāns, Armands Bērziņš, Igors Bondarevs, Aigars Cipruss, Viktors Ignatjevs, Artūrs Irbe, Rodrigo Laviņš, Vladimirs Mamonovs, Edgars Masaļskis, Sergejs Naumovs, Aleksandrs Ņižvijs, Grigorijs Panteļejevs, Georgijs Pujacs, Miķelis Rēdlihs, Arvīds Rēķis, Agris Saviels, Aleksandrs Semjonovs, Kārlis Skrastiņš, Jānis Sprukts, Leonīds Tambijevs, Atvars Tribuncovs, Herberts Vasiļjevs, Māris Ziediņš and, in reserve, Mārtiņš Cipulis, Aleksandrs Macijevskis, Sandis Ozoliņš and Krišjānis Rēdlihs.
• Shorttrack skater Evita Krievāne, who was added Feb. 6 after the International Olympic Committee accepted the Latvian Olympic Committee’s request.

Four years ago, the Latvian squad competing in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, did not come home with any medals. The ice hockey team finished ninth and the men’s bobsled teams and women’s luge competitors finished in the top 10.

(Updated 07 Feb 2006)

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, will indeed visit Latvia in October, President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga’s press office has confirmed.

The news agency LETA broke the news early in January, but official sources at the time did not confirm the report. The British royalty are coming to Latvia at the invitiation of Vīke-Freiberga, the president’s press office said Jan. 25.

This will be the queen’s first visit to Latvia.

The queen and duke also will visit Estonia and Lithuania, Buckingham Palace announced.

Queen Elizabeth II turns 80 in April.

(UPDATED 26 JAN 2006)

Sarmīte “Sam” Bulte, a Latvian-Canadian member of parliament from the Parkdale-High Park riding of Toronto, has lost her seat in the House of Commons in Canada’s general election.

Bulte, a member of the Liberal Party, lost to Peggy Nash of the New Democratic Party in an election that ended 13 years of Liberal rule in the federal government. Nash earned 40.3 percent of the votes, according to preliminary results reported by Elections Canada, while Bulte got 36 percent.

Two years ago, Bulte easily led a pack of six candidates to retain her seat in the House of Commons. Nash came in second in the 2004 vote in Parkdale-High Park.

Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin’s minority government, plagued by scandal, fell on Nov. 29 after a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Now Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper will lead a new minority government.

As the Canadian campaign began in late autumn, Martin’s Liberals seemed assured of a victory. But the Conservative Party, according to media reports, benefitted in part from Canadians simply being tired with Liberal rule. The Conservative Party, according to Elections Canada, received 36.35 percent of the national vote and captured a total of 124 seats in the 308-seat House of Commons.

Bulte was first elected in 1997 and re-elected in 2000 and 2004. Among her other political and cultural activities, Bulte has served as a member of the board of the Latvian National Federation in Canada (Latviešu Nacionālā apvienība Kanādā).