On a day of celebration for the Republic of Latvia, 4 May, the long-anticipated Sigulda Sports Centre was finally formally opened to the public. Among those in attendance at the event, alongside the enthusiastic inhabitants of the town, were council representatives and home town sports stars including the outstanding skeleton racer Martins Dukurs. After an excursion around the enormous sports building, the guests were of one mind that the result had exceeded all their hopes.

“The first time I got to have a look at the indoor premises in the new sports centre, I remembered a phrase that I’d heard from one of the workers – we, Siguldans, have long deserved this. I completely agree with him and I’m delighted that the wishes of the town’s inhabitants have been fulfilled. After all, Sigulda is a real sports town,”  said Martins Dukurs.

For the purposes of his own training, he intends to make full use of the opportunities offered by the Sigulda Sports Centre.

“I can use almost everything that this centre has to offer for my training – there’s space for athletics, a professional gym, and a swimming pool,” explained the Olympian.

It turns out that Martins had the chance to offer help in the form of advice in regard to the design of the centre, “I helped to resolve some minor issues – I shared my experience of what I’d seen elsewhere overseas. I made some recommendations about how best to position the gym equipment, and explained what else should be available. Honestly speaking, I am yet to visit such as a high-level sports centre anywhere else.”