Latvian badmintoners go home from Portugal without victories; ready to “sit down” self-insulation / Article / LSM.lv

The European team championship qualifying tournament in badminton ended with the Scottish victory on Sunday in the Portuguese city of Caldas da Raina. The Latvian national team, which went to the tournament with a minimum of four people, also failed to win this tournament.

Latvia was represented by Reinis Šefers, Liāna Lencēviča, Andis Bērziņš and Jekaterina Romanova. The Latvian national team lost 0-5 in the European Championship to Spain, Ukraine, Scotland and Portugal.

The playing coach Bērziņš LSM.lv admitted that seeing the composition of the subgroup, it was already possible to judge that it will not be easy. The team has done everything in its power, but it must be taken into account that due to the pandemic, the training process in Latvia was thoroughly delayed. “As an example – absolutely not everyone is allowed to play, prepare, train in doubles, but only in an individual process. I think that it also played a role in the performance of the Latvian national team, ”Bērziņš did not hide.

The tournament took place in a “bubble”, and in a conversation with LSM.lv, Bērziņš did not hide the joy that even in such conditions, taking all the necessary precautions, the competition could still take place. “You have to be ready for anything during this time,” Bērziņš admitted.

The team is currently on its way back to Latvia, where it plans to return tonight. Due to the difficult travel in a pandemic, the road to and from the tournament is quite long and tense. Players are ready to go to self-isolation for ten days after the tournament.

The qualifying group tournaments of the European Mixed Team Championship took place simultaneously from December 9 to 12 in four countries – Portugal, Austria, Belgium and England. The Latvian team was drawn into the Portuguese subgroup, along with Ukraine, Scotland and Spain. The winners of the subgroups won the opportunity to participate in the European Mixed Badminton Team Championship, which is scheduled for February 2021 in Finland. The mixed badminton team national team game consists of five games: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles. The European Mixed Team Championship takes place once every two years.

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