European Bridge Championship organizers criticize sports event funding system

This week's European Bridge Championship in Riga has highlighted the funding challenges for international sports events in Latvia. Although the competition will proceed regardless of state support, the Latvian Bridge Federation has voiced criticism of the existing system.

The federation states that state investment in hosting such events would be recouped many times over, but the current funding mechanism is incomplete and fails to adequately assess the economic contribution of the tournament. Similar concerns have been raised by other sports federations.

These organizations are urging a revision of the procedures for financing international competitions in Latvia, arguing that the current system discourages the attraction of major sports events to the country.