In the morning of July 19th, the International Linguistics Olympiad began at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS). The Olympiad was live-streamed to young people, who will compete in a week of linguistics challenges, both in teams and individually, from all around the world.



The sunrise is the theme of the opening ceremony. The sunrise marks the beginning of a new day and a new challenge - the Olympiad. This year, about 300 students from 32 countries will partake in the challenge, and with participants from as far away as Australia and the USA, some young people will stay up late to watch the sunrise in Ventspils.

The Rector of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, PhD Kārlis Krēsliņš, the Chairman of Ventspils City Council, Jānis Vītoli, and the Advisor to the Minister of Education and Science, Jānis Ozols, addressed the participants at the opening ceremony. The speeches were complemented by the Olympiad jury representatives Stanislav Gurevich and Ivan Derzhanski, introducing the young linguistics experts to the Olympiad's rules and processes. The participants were also able to learn about Latvian culture by watching a clip from the Song Festival concert and listening to the folk music group "Tautumeitas."

Two four-student teams will represent Latvia. Latvia's first team will be made up of Lorenss Martinsons, Džonatans Miks Melgalvis, Nestors Starostins, and Aleksandra Daņilova. Varvara Gromova, Milana Komisarova, Jūlia Vaikute, and Maksims Libensons will make up Latvia's second team. All of the students will represent Riga State Gymnasium No.1 or RTU School of Engineering.

Latvian teams have competed in the Olympiad several times, including in the Republic of Korea in 2019. VUAS translation studies assistant professor Guntars Dreijers was part of the Latvian team at the Olympiad, and Nestors Starostins of Riga State Gymnasium No. 1 won bronze in the individual test. Latvia has earned two gold medals, four silver medals, and ten bronze medals since the first Linguistics Olympiad in 2003.