Latvian Sports Sector Gets Guidelines for Airspace Threat Response

New Safety Guidelines for Sports Events

The Latvian Sports Federation Council (LSFP) together with the Ministry of Education and Science has prepared guidelines that specify actions for sports federations, competition organizers, and other stakeholders in case of a warning about a potential threat to Latvia's airspace. The guidelines apply to sports training, competitions, and other sports events, complementing existing civil protection, evacuation, and safety regulations. The highest priority is the protection of human life and health.

Alert Levels and Actions

The document defines two alert levels: yellow and orange. A yellow warning is informative and does not require immediate action, but organizers must prepare for a possible event interruption and continue monitoring official information. An orange warning indicates a confirmed threat – competitions, training, or events must be stopped immediately unless they are held indoors in spaces meeting safe-room requirements. For outdoor events, participants must move to the nearest safe place; if impossible, they should seek shelter behind natural barriers or in forested areas.

The guidelines also address teams traveling to the event site. Depending on the situation, they should stop in a safe place, wait for instructions from organizers, or leave the area if possible within 15–20 minutes.

Safe Room Requirements and Prohibitions

A safe room is defined as a space with at least two sturdy walls between a person and the outside, at least one of which has no windows. If no such room is available, people should stay as far from windows as possible. During a threat, it is forbidden to film or photograph the threat source, publish or share such material, approach suspicious objects, or ignore instructions from responsible persons.

Sports federations may adjust or supplement the prescribed actions according to their sport's specifics, but these additions must not contradict instructions from competent state authorities.

Context: May Drone Incidents

The guidelines were developed following incidents in May when residents of Latgale and Vidzeme received cell broadcast warnings about a potential airspace threat. These were caused by unmanned aerial vehicles entering Latvia – some drones fell and exploded, and over Estonia a NATO fighter jet shot down one drone. The incidents were likely linked to drones used in the Russia-Ukraine war.