Trophy Tour winds through Latvia

RIGA (Latvia) - The beautiful Baltic country of Latvia, which will be making its first appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, was a spectacular stop on the Trophy Tour presented by J9.

The Latvian team will play in Jakarta against Canada, France and Lebanon in the First Round in what many consider a group of death because of the high quality of teams.

First stop in Riga for the Naismith Trophy was theTV3 Morning Show "900 Sekundes"

If the short-term aim will be to survive and advance to the Second Round, the dream for all 32 teams in the tournament being staged in Manila, Okinawa and Jakarta, the city hosting Latvia in the first two rounds, will be to lift the Naismith Trophy.

After arriving in the Latvian capital of Riga on June 29, the trophy made an appearance on the TV3 morning show "900 sekundes".

Not long after, it was photographed at famous locations in Riga, like the National Opera (below).

The gorgeous National Opera of Latvia has been in operation on Aspazijas Boulevard since 1923

Panoramic view of Riga

The trophy was then taken to the Freedom Monument, where Latvian Basketball Association President Raimonds Vejonis (speaking below), Riga Mayor Martins Stakis and Latvia national team players Kristers Zoriks and Arturs Zagars were on hand for interviews. 

Vejonis speaks in front of the trophy at the Freedom Monument, which was unveiled in 1935

The Mayor of Riga, Martins Stakis, offers some thoughts in front of the Naismith Trophy

Getting a close-up look at the Naismith Trophy in Riga

The trophy was then taken to Town Hall Square (below), a popular spot for tourists and for most of the year, the center of hustle and bustle in Riga's capital.

Town Hall Square

Located in the center of the old city is the Town Hall Square, which is surrounded Riga City Council, Black Heads Palace, Riga Tourist Information Center, the Latvian Occupation Museum and the underground Riga Art Space.

The following day, the trophy was again on TV. It appeared on the LTV morning show "Rita Panorama" (below), and there was an interview with Kaspar Cipruss, the Latvian Basketball Association Secretary General. 

LTV morning show "Rīta Panorāma"

Shortly after that morning, the trophy was photographed at Mezaparks Great Bandstand (Mežaparka estrāde), the same day of the start of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival. The large open-air bandstand is in the Mezaparks neighborhood of Riga.

Trophy at the Mezaparks Great Bandstand

Next, the Naismith Trophy was photographed at the Latvian Sports Museum, where fans were also invited to come and view it.

Latvian Sports Museum

Vejonis and the Minister for Education and Science, Anda Caksa, were photographed (below) with the trophy.

At the Ministry of Education and Science (and Sports)

There were other famous spots for the trophy to be photographed, like Paradise Hill, which is 218 kilometers southeast of Riga.

Paradise Hill is a wonderful place to admire the forests.

Paradise Hill, Latvia

An hour's drive to the northeast is Turaida Castle, which is where the trophy was displayed as well.

Turaida Castle seen in the forest behind the Trophy, in the Vidzeme region

The castle is a recently reconstructed medieval castle in Turaida, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the opposite bank of the Gauja River from Sigulda.

Yet another beautiful spot where the trophy was taken was Saulkrasti on the Baltic coast, north of Riga.

The trophy in the sunshine of Saulkrasti, catching a sea breeze

FIBA