At the Daugava Sports House in Riga, a monument to the dream team 1935 coach Baumanis / day

The authors of the initiative are Riga Basketball School and the Latvian Basketball Heritage Society. The plan has been implemented with the support of the Riga City Council, the Latvian Basketball Union (LBS) and individuals.

At the opening event of the monument, LBS President Raimonds Vējonis praised all the achievements of Latvian basketball.

« These are already historical events and we have rich basketball traditions, but their foundations were laid in the 20th century, » said Vejonis. « We have something to be happy about, there are achievements and historical traditions. »

He stressed that youth should not only train, but also know the previous achievements.

« In 2015, the LBS decided to invest some of the funds from the European Championship not only in the design of a new hall, but also in the creation of this memorial site, » Vejonis recalled.

The author of the monument’s idea, Guntis Schoenhof, revealed that he had the idea of ​​the need for the monument to Bauman after watching Andrey Ech’s film « Dream Team 1935 ».

« He deserves a monument directly at the Daugava Sports House, where children and young people are training on a daily basis. Young people need to know their sport, » said Schoenhof, adding that another monument will be opened at the end of the year.

Riga City Council Chairman Vilnis Kirsis highlighted that the monument dedicated to Bauman was opened not only in an important place near the Daugava Sports House, where many Latvian basketball players played and trained, but also at the time when Riga will host the European Championship at the end of the summer.

Several representatives of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) also participated in the opening of the monument, and Horhe Garbahosa, President of the FIBA ​​European Division, highlighted that thanks to the Latvian team led by Baumanis, Latvian basketball players such as Kristaps Porziņģis are currently known in the world and everyone in Europe knows that Latvia is a basketball country.

Baumanis (19.04.1905-24.04.1992) More than 100 years ago, as a pupil participated in the first basketball games. He became a two -time Latvian champion in the Junior Christian Union team.

The Latvian basketball team led by Bauman won the first European Championship in 1935, and in 2012 the film « The Dream Team 1935 » was published in 2012.

Under Bauman, the team also won the silver medal at the 1939 European Championship.

He was also an officer of the Latvian Army, but at the end of World War II emigrated from Latvia.