This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
TheBaltic Sea Games was amulti-sport event between countries near theBaltic Sea. It was held on two occasions: first in 1993 then for a final time in 1997.[1]
Estonian officials drove the creation of competition, organising a preliminary meeting with other nations in 1988. An agreement was reached at the inaugural Sports Conference of the Baltic Sea Countries in 1989 thatTallinn would host the first games, with the intention of the competition being to use sport to promote understanding and friendship among young people. Despite thebreak-up of the Soviet Union in this period, ten nations of theBaltic region signed on for the first games in 1993, comprising the three post-SovietBaltic states (Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania), the threeNordic countries (Denmark,Norway,Sweden), plusGermany,Finland,Poland andRussia.[1]
At the1993 Baltic Sea Games, a total of 1177 athletes took part in the competition where 170 gold medals were awarded. Lithuania topped the medal table with 39 gold medals among a haul of 95, closely followed by Russia on 38 golds and 90 medals. Poland had the next most gold medals, with 23, while the hosts Estonia had the next highest medal tally, with 81.[1]
The1997 Baltic Sea Games followed on schedule, with the Lithuanian capitalVilnius serving as host. The competition was greatly expanded, with 2250 athletes present and 221 gold medals given out. Onlyvolleyball was dropped from the sports programme, while ten new discrete sports added. All the original nations returned andBelarus competed for the first (and only) time. The hosts Lithuania repeated as medal table winners, with 62 gold medals and 178 medals in total. Newcomers Belarus had the next highest gold medal count on 58 and Russia had the second highest medal total with 129. Poland also performed well, with the fourth best tally in both gold medals and overall.[1]
The Latvian capitalRiga intended to host the 2001 edition of the games, but it was abandoned due to lack of support among the competing nations.[2]
| Games | Year | Host city | Host country | Dates | Sports | Nations | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993 | Tallinn | 22 June – 3 July | 14 | 10 | 1177 | |
| 2 | 1997 | Vilnius | 25 June – 6 July | 23 | 11 | 2550 | |
| 3 | 2001 | Riga | Abandoned |
| Games | Year | Host city | Host country | Dates | Sports | Nations | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Schwerin | |||||
| 2 | 2001 | Rostock | |||||
| 3 | 2003 | Šiauliai | |||||
| 4 | 2005 | Szczecin | |||||
| 5 | 2007 | Neubrandenburg | |||||
| 6 | 2009 | Koszalin | |||||
| 7 | 2011 | Ljungbyhed | |||||
| 8 | 2013 | Vyborg | |||||
| 9 | 2015 | Brandenburg | |||||
| 10 | 2017 | Brest | |||||
| 11 | 2019 | Karlstad |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 101 | 94 | 78 | 273 | |
| 2 | 81 | 72 | 66 | 219 | |
| 3 | 58 | 37 | 27 | 122 | |
| 4 | 53 | 29 | 44 | 126 | |
| 5 | 26 | 42 | 66 | 134 | |
| 6 | 22 | 46 | 58 | 126 | |
| 7 | 18 | 23 | 12 | 53 | |
| 8 | 17 | 22 | 33 | 72 | |
| 9 | 14 | 19 | 24 | 57 | |
| 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Totals (11 entries) | 391 | 387 | 408 | 1,186 | |