Other events in Baltic States

A Latvian man with a previous criminal record was detained at the Olympic ice-hockey arena in PyeongChang last Sunday for an attempt to steal hockey sticks from the Finnish women's ice-hockey team, Artis Velss, the Latvian security liaison officer accompanying the Latvian Olympic team, informed LETA.

Citing information from the local police, Velss said that the 27-year-old man had bought a ticket to the women's ice-hockey match, but at one point managed to sneak into the room where hockey equipment was being kept. The man took a set of five hockey sticks which belonged to a player of the Finnish women's ice-hockey team.

The man tried to get away from the ice-hockey center, but was noticed by volunteers. They called the police who detained the suspected thieve. The man, who had been drinking alcohol, confessed to the theft.

The South Korean police have started an investigation against the Latvian who has been released from custody but banned from leaving Korea until February 26. The man named a hotel as his current place of residence.

The man has no connection with the Latvian Olympic delegation, but he explained that he was in South Korea on a work-related trip, Velss said.

The Latvian State Police established that the man in question was already known to the Latvian law enforcement authorities for his involvement in alcohol-related incidents and scandals. He has also been convicted in Latvia for theft.