This year’s Alfred Krauklis Basketball Tournament will take place from August 13 to 16 in more than 20 different gyms in Riga. The tournament has been held every year since 1992. For the second time in the tournament’s 34-year history, adult amateur and veteran teams will also compete.
The largest children’s and youth basketball tournament in the Baltics will this year traditionally gather more than 3,000 young basketball enthusiasts – boys and girls aged 9 to 18. The competition will take place in nine different age groups for both girls and boys, as well as this year – adult amateur, as well as „40+”, „50+” and „60+” veteran age groups for men and women. A total of 229 teams will compete in the tournament.
Tournament organizer J. Labucs: “I have to say that setting a record for the number of teams has now become an annual tradition, as the number of participants has been increasing every year since the 2018 tournament. Special thanks to those Latvian, Lithuanian and other foreign coaches for whom this tournament has become a traditional test of skill before the start of the regular season. Thanks also to the Riga City Municipality for their trust over many years in supporting the tournament. I must mention this year’s biggest tournament update – the mobile application “AKCUP”, which will be available on both Google Play and Apple Store by the start of the tournament. In the mobile application, both tournament participants and fans will be able to find tournament calendar and game results, as well as use special offers from the tournament’s partners. Also this year, in the boys’ and girls’ U-17 age groups a special award will be presented from Andris Biedriņš, one of Latvia’s all-time best basketball players. See you on the basketball courts!”
Teams from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Great Britain, Poland, Ukraine and France will participate in the tournament. The participation of Ukrainian children in the tournament is financially supported by „Latvijas Finieris”.
All tournament games from more than 20 sports halls in Riga will be visible on the tournament’s official YouTube channel @AKCUP_basketball. Also, the gold medal final games of the two oldest youth age groups will be broadcasted live on TV channels TV24 and the TV channel „Radio SWH TV”. The start of the live games from the Xiaomi Arena and Rimi Olympic Center on Sunday, August 16, at 16:45.
In order for the participants to be able to restore their strength reserves after active sports, the catering company „LIDO” will take care of the catering part. “Great personalities and sports stars are not born in a day – they are formed by discipline and persistent work. Such memorial tournaments are indispensable in tempering the character of the new generation, because they teach not to give up both on the court and in life. By providing young athletes with the necessary support and energy, we want to maintain and promote their desire to be active, engage in meaningful activities and strive for the top. Healthy, enthusiastic and motivated young people are the foundation of a strong society, and we are honored to be with them on this path,” says Rita Auziņa, Chairwoman of the LIDO Board.
The goal of this tournament is not only to give young basketball players the opportunity to develop their skills in sports, but also to draw the attention of children and young people to socially important topics. In order to reduce the risk of getting into an accident and sustaining injuries, tournament participants will be educated on various safety topics by „Sadales tīkls”, the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD) and „GASO”.
This year, the tournament participant’s wristbands will also have a special value – with them you will be able to visit the Riga National Zoo, the Latvian Sports Museum, the Riga Motor Museum, the Latvian National Museum of Art for free, as well as take advantage of other valuable offers from the tournament’s partners.
We invite you to follow the competition news on the tournament’s social media accounts:
- Facebook @alfredakrauklacup
- Instagram @akcup_basketball
- YouTube @akcup_basketball
- TikTok @ak.cup.basketball
As every year, everyone can attend all tournament games for free. All venues, game calendar and game results can be found on the tournament website www.akcup.lv, as well as in the mobile application „AKCUP”.
About the tournament
Alfrēds Krauklis – Latvian basketball legend, 1939 European Basketball Championship silver medalist, outstanding player of the Latvian men’s national basketball team, coach, educator, and a role model for young people, within and outside of basketball community.
In 1958, A. Krauklis was the co-founder of the men’s basketball team „VEF”, being the 1st coach of this team. In 1961, the Children and Youth Sports School – BJBS „VEF” was founded under the leadership of Krauklis. Many new students of the basketball school also were members of the men’s team VEF. When Alfreds Krauklis passed away, the management and coaches of BJBS „VEF” announced to the entire Latvian basketball community that youth school BJBS „VEF” will be named after him – the Alfreds Krauklis VEF basketball school.
The first basketball tournament in memory of A. Krauklis was held in November 1992. A total of 66 teams in 6 boys’ age groups from 5 countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine and Russia – participated. Since the 25th tournament, girls’ teams have also been participating in the competition. Over the years, the A. Krauklis memorial tournament has become the largest children’s basketball tournament in the Baltics and is organized with the support of the Riga City Municipality.
The event is supported by Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, within the framework of the event „Organization of International Sports Events and Exhibitions in Latvia”, which is co-financed by the European Union.
To contact the organizers of the Alfrēds Krauklis Memorial Basketball Tournament:
Email: info@akcup.lv
Tel. No. +371 29871063
