Kulbergs sees no need for state funding for bridge championship

Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (AS) stated that he does not see justification for allocating state budget funds to organize a bridge championship. After a coalition meeting, he said he had asked the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM) and the Ministry of Economics (EM) to provide detailed explanations about the planned reallocation of funds.

The plan involves redirecting €225,000 to IZM and €1.25 million to EM development programs from a fund linked to temporary residence permits. Kulbergs emphasized that taxpayer money must be used efficiently with clear benefits to the national economy. He was critical of funding specific events from the state budget, noting that if an event is already coordinated, it is primarily the responsibility of the municipality.

According to the prime minister, state co-financing is justified only if projects are submitted in a timely manner and demonstrably provide economic returns, for example, if every euro invested yields several euros back. He cited examples such as the World Rally Championship round and basketball tournaments that have been held in Latvia.

EM proposes to reallocate €225,000 to support international sports events. The funds will be administered by the Latvian Sports Federations Council (LSFP), which will organize a competition for sports federations. The main criterion will be economic contribution – supported events must collectively ensure at least 13,500 visitor nights by foreign guests in Latvia. The annotation states that the average spending of a foreign guest per day is €217, and the state investment should yield at least double the return.

LSFP President Vladimirs Šteinbergs said the competition will be announced soon after the government's decision. Various sports federations, including the Latvian Bridge Federation, may apply if they meet the criteria. Šteinbergs views this as a pilot project to test a new approach to funding. The previous IZM program for international events had around €200,000 per year and supported 8–10 events, but it no longer exists this year.

The Latvian National Sports Council (LNSP) has already approved several championships, including the 2026 European National Teams Bridge Championship and the European Women's and Seniors Pairs Championship. However, approval does not guarantee funding – if funds are not allocated, costs must be covered by the federations themselves or their sponsors.