The topic of Latvia is currently trending due to significant developments related to the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics. The U.S. men’s hockey team is set to face Latvia in the tournament’s opener, generating substantial interest among fans and sports enthusiasts. The anticipation surrounding Olympic events typically leads to increased search activity, particularly as teams and matchups are announced.
In addition, a recent law in Latvia has created considerable attention by mandating the removal of Russian and Belarusian workers from key sectors such as healthcare and transportation. This law has drawn focus due to its immediate and wide-reaching implications, especially as it impacts workers’ livelihoods without providing severance, thus attracting searches related to employment rights and geopolitical issues.
These two factors—the opening Olympic hockey match and the contentious labor law—are driving a surge in search interest, as individuals seek information about Latvia in the context of sports and current events. As the Olympics draw nearer and discussions surrounding the new law continue, the volume of searches is likely to remain high.
Watch the Moment
Internet Reacts
A
Hello everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying the day’s action thus far! 🤙🏻 I just want to very quickly address the ongoing news story regarding the expulsion of Ukrainian skeleton slider Vladyslav Heraskevych. For those even vaguely interested in my two penneth – I think that this is a shameful move on the part of the IOC and I firmly stand by Lizzy Yarnold’s comments to the BBC that this decision is wrong – so, ***so*** wrong – wrong both in terms of the Olympic Games as a spectacle and for the sliding community as a whole. I firmly believe that the IOC owe Heraskevych an unreserved apology and that the decision taken has somewhat sullied what has so far been an incredible Olympic Games. The decision I took to limit discourse on this issue was purely a subreddit led one. Nothing more, nothing less. We know just how passionate you all are (which is a wonderful thing) but we still have rules that are firmly set in an attempt to avoid politically charged, subreddit infighting. Infighting which can often lead to hours of work for our mod team despite the rules being there in the first place. I hope this has gone some way to explaining my very firm position on this matter. Thank you. Dan ✌🏻
P
The commercials on Peacock replays are BRUTAL. One run followed by two minutes of ads. BOOOOOOOO
B
I was busy all day today so I have no idea what happened
E
This might sound a bit low quality post, but as a Spaniard I have to admit I’m genuinely envious of the Italian sporting landscape right now. It feels like they’re producing podium-level athletes in almost every sport. Sure, they might not dominate any single discipline or have an athlete who completely rules the planet, but what’s striking is just how many top-three, top-five, or at least top-ten athletes they seem to have across the board. If you look at medal tables from world championships or the Olympics over the past two or three years, it’s kind of wild. They may not always top the gold count, but they rack up an insane number of silvers and bronzes in almost every mainstream sport. That tells you something. In individual sports, they consistently produce elite competitors, and in team sports they might not have an unbeatable superteam, but they’re almost always a safe bet for the podium. Even when they don’t have the absolute best of the best, Sinner included, they still have depth everywhere. Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, it doesn’t really matter. Credit where it’s due. At the moment, they’re easily a top-five sporting nation in the world, maybe even top three.
N
> genuinely envious of the Italian sporting landscape Not to mention the national anthem that makes even those from abroad proud to be Italian
C
Super G What’s the reason for not allowing training on the slope prior to the race event? Why allow is for downhill but not super g?
I
It’s kind of the thrill of the event doing it in the first try. And while super G is dangerous for sure, downhill is significantly more dangerous due to higher speeds, bigger jumps etc. so it would be reckless to do without a training.
T
Can professional lugers/skeleton riders tell while they’re going that they’re going especially fast or too slow? Or do they not really know until they see their time at the end?
N
I know there’s always upsets/ surprises in the Olympics, but this year seems to have a bit more than usual. I keep checking things at work and going “what?!”
J
Canada has no gold medals after Day 6 at the Winter Olympics for the first time since Albertville 1992. 🙃
R
You are still very well represented. It’s just that every time there is an athlete from another country that is a split second faster. And don’t forget about the winter paralympic games
J
Brother, with all due respect, I don’t give a fuck about the paralympic games.
I
Did anybody just see that ad for the LA28 air taxi? WHAT?! There is zero chance that will happen. The FAA implements no fly zones around the Games. I appreciate their enthusiasm, but…
C
Haha. For some reason this reminds me of listening to people get excited about Amazon drone delivery things and then having to go “You know we live in an area where the airspace is highly regulated and that would never be allowed, right?”
T
If I may indulge in a brief rant, every Olympics ends up being a productivity killer for me. I always tell myself, this year I’m going to watch casually, but it’s just not possible. Inevitably I end up getting sucked into the drama and storylines of various athletes and events – Heraskevych, ice dance, speed skating to name a few, and we’re not even a week in. I wish I could just mindlessly watch the curated content NBC wants to shove down our throats every night in primetime, but I just can’t.
I
Yeah everytime the olympics come up i know i will get absolutely nothing done because i watch all the time. I really enjoy watching all the different disciplines that only come to light at the olympics and getting invested in peoples journeys that you never heard of before. I think thats one of the beauties of the games. But it’s a bit ironic to get backpain from sitting down too much while watching the worlds best athletes performing at the highest levels. 😀
D
Same here. Having a blast though.
H
Enjoy it while it lasts, there’s no fighting it! Thankfully it’s only every four years 😄
I
Every two if you count winter and summer games 😉
H
Pure Olympic Joy Following Sweden in the Winter Olympics throughout the 2000s has been such a treat. While we never match the truly greats we’re definitely punching above our weight, and with the exception of 2014 we’ve been scoring better with each Olympics! 2022 was the best Swedish performance at the Winter Olympics of all time with 8 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze – ranking us 5th overall. With a first week like this one (4 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) I’m already so proud of our Incredible athletes, but what a sight to behold if we could beat our 2022 record! I’m not fond of divisive patriotism and tribalism, but to me the Olympics really show an uplifting and non-exclusionary side of national pride. And I hope all of you, no matter where you’re from, get to experience the same and share in the joy of your athletes as they take on the dream of a lifetime – to represent all of their loved ones and the nation they call home at the Olympic Games
K
This comment isn’t going to make your viking ancestors proud. Also this way of thinking is what cost you your formerly homogeneous paradise.
H
Lol, not that you would know anything about making anyone proud. You’re also sadly ignorant about history, but I guess that’s no surprise.
J
When did doubles luge become a thing? What are the responsibilities for each athlete? Top “steers” bottom counterweights? Sorry if I sound dumb (wouldn’t be a new thing!) lol
V
Doubles has been around for decades, this is the first Games to have a women’s event. Front rider (they try not to call them “top” and “bottom” 🤔) steers by pressing their leg against the end of the runner, just as in singles. Back rider assists by leaning into the corners (again, as in the single version. If you weren’t aware, a luge is steered by flexing the outside runner and pressing down with your inside shoulder. With singles one person does it all, with doubles the tasks are split)
S
Honestly don’t remember it either. It could’ve gotten less coverage in the US
R
Since 1964.
I
So i’m not that familiar with icehockey and while watching some questions came up, which i’m confident many of you can answer with ease. Sorry if they sound stupid. First: I recognized that many players have some white tape on their rackets. Are they really all kind of broken or is there another advantage from that like influencing the hitting physics? Second: What is the deal with the Power Breaks? They seem to come so random. And third: What even is considered a foul in this sport? Not something like sticking, holding, offside, icing etc. but a physical foul. I know it’s a rough sport and all but they throw hands on such a regular basis and its normal. For example in the last game some danish player snatched off an oponents helmet and hit him on the head and everyone was like ‘yeah thats fair game’. That would be an instant red in every other sport so whats the line for a foul? If someone goes unconcious or gets a gnarly bleeding wound? Thanks in advance and sorry for the long text 🙂
W
> For example in the last game some danish player snatched off an oponents helmet and hit him on the head and everyone was like ‘yeah thats fair game’. I didn’t see the Denmark game, but that does not sound like it should have been legal. In the NHL, you’d get a penalty for knocking off another player’s helmet (since they’re not allowed to keep playing without it) and while there are a bunch of situations where you’re allowed to fight (ie, you both have to go sit in the penalty box for 5 minutes, but you don’t get thrown out of the game), you can’t just hit someone in the head with a piece of equipment. Usually, international rules are even stricter about head contact than the NHL is, so I’m not sure what happened there.
I
To be clear he didn’t hit him with the helmet but with his hand. They had a little skirmish next to the german goal where the german player blocked him away and they brought each other down. In that process he ripped the helmet of and threw some fistpunch in. Game was paused then i think because the goalie had the puck so nothing more came off it.
C
> First: I recognized that many players have some white tape on their rackets. Are they really all kind of broken or is there another advantage from that like influencing the hitting physics? It’s grip tape. They tape the sticks because the hockey sticks are cut down to height and then they tape the end to match the shape they like, hence why some guys have A LOT of tape. Not sure what taping the blade end does, but they do that too.
W
> I recognized that many players have some white tape on their rackets. Sticks rather than racquets. They use that tape to give themselves some grip on the shaft, and more friction on the blade. The breaks in play happen when the play stops for a variety of reasons: Puck over the glass, or certain plays (offside, icing) that require a change in zones, or when the goaltender stops play. What is considered a foul? As a Habs fan, I’ll refrain from answering this, haha. There are a lot of official penalties, usually to do with rough play, or holding the stick. Things that are considered fouls at the start of the season are more rarely considered fouls during the playoffs.
J
high stick (hitting an opponent above the shoulder), tripping, too many players on the ice, hooking, slashing. It’s a rough sport but there is a “roughing” penalty, usually if excessive pushing happens after a play is whistled down. You can def get too rough and players can be ejected or be assessed major penalties or game misconducts
G
Power break is just a fancy word for advertisment break. Fouls are e.g. tripping or checking someone head first into the barrierer. Basically for unfair behaviour or for risking injuries.
W
Not all the breaks are for ads. Some will be for faceoffs.
R
Valliant effort by Latvia, country of only 1.6 million people
N
Anyone remember Jordan Chiles’s medal getting taken away? Just saying…
R
Jordan Chiles did not win a medal. Only Americans didn’t get that immediately. The entire rest of the world understood it.
N
That’s not my point. I don’t care about Jordan’s case specifically. My point is that a precedent was set for that, which could also be used against France.
R
Then make an actual point. Look at your comment. It’s a vague rhetorical question that could be interpreted in 50 different ways. You don’t make any point.
T
Do you mean ice dance? I’m not a fan but it is what it is. That competition is always a bit of a farce. It’s kinda like the boxing of the winter Olympics. The judging is completely opaque for the casual viewer and there’s so much politicking involving who wins.
J
the one she didn’t earn in the first place? just saying…
N
That’s not my point.
F
It’s almost like contests that are decided based solely on judges shouldn’t be a part of the Olympics
W
It’s wild to me that so many of the new events they’ve added over the past few games have been judged. They haven’t fixed the problem, and in fact they’re just adding to it.
T
At least breakdancing won’t be back for 2028…
M
And none of the sports being added for 2028 are judging sports, they’ll all sports that involve some sort of objective to get a point and whomever gets enough points wins.
N
Thank goodness. We’re getting flag football, which doesn’t involve judges.
B
Usa among others lobbied hard for these events
F
Yeah, ruining things is kind of what we do…of course we lobbied hard for X games events to be added
N
And then got silver because of said lobbying. 🤣
Additional Sources:
NHL.com – Nelson scores twice, United States pulls away from Latvia in Olympic opener
