House of Baltics unveiled exactly 35 years after Latvia's return to the Olympic movement

The Latvian Olympic Committee (LOK) presented the House of Baltics on September 18 at the Riga Stock Exchange Atrium - a joint initiative by Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia that will operate during the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The date was chosen deliberately: exactly 35 years earlier, on September 18, 1991, the International Olympic Committee restored the Latvian Olympic Committee's rights within the international Olympic movement, and the following year Latvian athletes competed again under their own flag in Albertville and Barcelona.

The House of Baltics will serve as a central gathering place for athletes, delegations, partners, media and guests, while strengthening the international visibility of the Baltic states and creating a platform for cultural, business and diplomatic cooperation. LOK president Raimonds Lazdiņš stressed that the initiative is not an entertainment event but a platform for shared Baltic identity and for advancing strategically important plans for Latvia.

Foundation and venue

The initiative builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in Riga this July by the three Baltic states' Olympic committees. The chosen venue is the Wende Museum in Los Angeles' Culver City area, an institution dedicated to Cold War history. LOK covered the venue reservation deposit back in April. More than 60 national hospitality houses are expected to operate during the Los Angeles Games.

Olympic song

Part of the House of Baltics story is a dedicated Olympic song, composed by Latvian-born Hollywood composer Lolita Ritmanis with lyrics by poet Māra Zālīte. At the presentation, both authors and singer Ance Krauze spoke about the song's creation, and a fragment of it was played publicly for the first time. Latvian Radio began recording the song immediately after the event. Its first public performance in Latvia is planned for November 8 in Liepāja.

The project in Latvia is coordinated by LOK's foundation, the Olympic Competition Agency. The Los Angeles Olympics will take place from July 14 to 30, 2028, bringing together more than 15,000 athletes across more than 50 sports.