TV News Advisory: World’s Top Athletes head to Riga for 2026 Calisthenics World Championship - 15 years grand anniversary

From August 13 to 15, Riga will host the most anticipated and impressive urban sports
event of the year – the Calisthenics (formerly known as street workout movement) World
Championship. For three days, Latvia will become the epicenter of calisthenics, gathering
the strongest and most talented athletes from 50 countries, e.g., India, France, Greece, the
United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, Brazil, Hong Kong, Spain, Argentina, the Baltic
countries, etc.. The audience can expect adrenaline-filled performances, incredible
demonstrations of strength and agility, and an atmosphere that can only be experienced at
a world-class event.

The main organizers of this event, the World Street Workout and Calisthenics Federation (WSWCF) and the Latvian Street Workout Federation (LIVF), have chosen Riga as the destination for the championship this year, where the movement of this sport was officially started 15 years ago. Not only will the grand anniversary be celebrated on these dates, but also the Riga Festival, which will be a great opportunity for athletes and fans to enjoy the culture of our capital.

The event aims to bring together the world's strongest and most talented calisthenics athletes in one place, giving them the opportunity to showcase their skills, strength, endurance and perseverance on an international stage. Over several days, athletes will compete in disciplines such as freestyle, power and endurance. Freestyle athletes will amaze with impressive acrobatic elements, dynamic combinations and strength demonstrations that seem to defy the laws of physics. Athletes in power and endurance disciplines will allow you to see firsthand the true potential and limits of the human body.

The president of the federation himself openly says this – “This World Championship will be very special because the International Federation is celebrating 15 years since its establishment. In addition, several strategic partners will come to this World Championship in Latvia, with whom we are currently actively working on the global recognition of calisthenics, as well as its inclusion in the international Olympic program. It will not only be an unforgettable festival for athletes, families, children and spectators, but it will also get into a very important international spotlight, because we are the only precedent in the world where the federation of a future Olympic sport is registered in Latvia,” says Rolands Kikors president of WSWCF.

Although it may seem that WSWCF is a foreign organization, in fact its origins can be traced back to Latvia, in 2011, when the then founder of the federation, Mr. Maris Slezins, started the street workout movement and decided to make it official. Currently, since January 1, 2023, the federation is led and coordinated by Mr. Rolands Kikors, who with his goals and ambitions is leading this sport towards Olympic recognition. Rolands participates in international sports conferences and presents calisthenics all over the world. The federation currently unites member organizations in 82 countries and athletes in more than 150.