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The Seimas basketball team scores best among its counterparts in the Baltic parliaments
Press release, 6 May 2022
The Seimas basketball team has won the Baltic Assembly Cup in Daugavpils, Republic of Latvia.
At the 15th basketball tournament of the members of the Parliaments of the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Estonia and the Republic of Latvia, the honour of the Seimas was defended by the following parliamentarians: Kasparas Adomaitis, Virgilijus Alekna, Andrius Bagdonas, Domas Griškevičius, Jonas Jarutis, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Andrius Kupčinskas, Deividas Labanavičius, Andrius Mazuronis, Audrius Petrošius and Gintautas Paluckas.
Photo by the Office of the Saeima
‘We bring a much more beautiful cup with a new design to the Seimas. The fight was very difficult and complicated. We even needed a play-off with Latvians. Fortunately, our coach Sergejus Jovaiša, MP, made the right replacements on time, guided our game, and inspired us for new attacks during the break. Thus, we managed both to withstand and win the fight. I am aware that the Latvian parliamentarians are having a difficult time as they are now holding the presidency of the Baltic Assembly and are preparing for the elections in the autumn. Therefore, they were very eager to win the Cup this year, but sometimes great expectations lead to a poorer outcome. The Latvians have burned out, lost to the Estonians and ended in the third place,’ said Andrius Kupčinskas, captain of the Seimas’ team and Vice-President of the Baltic Assembly.
According to Mr Kupčinskas, good defence was decisive to the victory of the Lithuanian parliamentarians: ‘The coach’s strategy focused, first and foremost, on defence and only then on attack.’ As regards the individual matches, Mr Kupčinskas revealed that the Lithuanian team succeeded in scoring from long range in the game with the Estonians, but had a tough fight under the basket against the Latvians.
The Seimas’ team stands out for a team game and for the potential of any player to become a game leader in any individual match. During the first game, the Lithuanian captain scored better, but he singled out another fellow team player during the final match: ‘Everyone has played their part, but Deividas Labanavičius must be commended for scoring most points in the crucial game.’
Photo by the Office of the Saeima
Summing up his visit to Latvia, Mr Kupčinskas noted that participation in the only sports tournament of parliamentary assemblies was both entertaining and meaningful because friendship and partnership with parliamentarians from the neighbouring Baltic countries was cultivated not only on the basketball field, but also during the unavoidable conversations on common economic and financial matters and the situation in Ukraine due to Russia’s aggression.
Saulė Eglė Trembo, Chief Specialist, Press Office, Information and Communication Department,
Monika Kutkaitytė
