2019 WDSF European Championship Standard and European Cup Latin | Salaspils, LAT

2018 European Championship Standard, CPH (DEN) | (c) Kaleta

Salaspils, Latvia, hosts the first Continental Championship in Adult age group in Europe this year. The 2019 WDSF European Championship Standard is being prepared at the new Salaspils Sports Hall for Saturday by the hard-working Latvian organizers and the team. This Championship will also be the first qualifying event for Standard for the World Games 2021 in Birmingham, Alabama (USA).

60 couples representing 33 European National Member Bodies (NMBs) will arrive in Salaspils, a town situated on the northern bank of the Daugava river, about 20 kilometers to the southeast of the Latvian capital city of Riga. The reigning European Champions, Dmitry Zharkov – Olga Kulikova (RUS) have moved on to the WDSF Professional Division and the title is up for grabs. Besides the Champions, only two couples of top 10 in 2018 are missing on the starting list: number two on the current World Ranking List and fifth place last year, Alexey Glukhov – Anastasia Glazunova (RUS), and Vasily Kirin – Ekaterina Prozorova (AUT), who ranked seventh last year, just barely outside the final.

The first leg of the 2019 GrandSlam Series has set the scene for the European Championship. Current leaders on the World Ranking List, and winners of GrandSlam Bucharest, Evaldas Sodeika – Ieva Zukauskaite (LTU) have been neck and neck with the runners-up in Bucharest, Francesco Galuppo – Debora Pacini (ITA), who have some really nice memories from Salaspils as they won the European Cup Standard here last year. And, very close behind them we have seen the strong Russian couples, Evgeny Moshenin – Dana Spitsyna and Evgeny Nikitin – Anastasia Miliutina.

As Glukhov – Glazunova are missing, there will be many couples targeting for the final, and pursuing for the place on the podium. Vaidotas Lacitis – Veronika Golodneva (LTU) ranked fourth last year, Anton Skuratov – Alena Uehlin (GER) ranked sixth and Madis Abel – Aleksandra Galkina (EST) ranked eighth in 2018. And, we shouldn’t forget about the two Latvian couples, Edgars Linis – Eliza Ancane, who just two weeks ago won the World Open in Cambrils, and Vadim Shurin – Anastasia Meshkova, who won the World Open in Skopje in March. These two couples will surely have the full support of the home crowd, which will push them to their maximum. When looking at the beginning of 2019, there are new stars on the rising and we will surely see some amazing performances starting already from the first round.

However, the weekend is not all about European Standard. Salaspils hosts also the 2019 WDSF European Cup Latin, with 26 couples representing 26 European NMBs, and a DSE Children GrandPrix. Guizhou (CHN) hosts the 2019 WDSF Asian Cup Standard and Latin. There are WDSF International Opens in Toronto (CAN), Moscow (RUS), Zabrze (POL), Baricella (ITA) and Izmir (TUR), and WDSF Opens in Kharkiv (UKR) and in Livorno (ITA).

WDSF Communications Team will set up their desk and cameras in Salaspils. We will share the highlights on our channels and hope to get some backstage material as well. Flodance will cover the evening program, both European Championship Standard and European Cup Latin live. Starting time of the live stream is still missing, but we will update the schedule as soon as we get there on site.