Education and Science, Forum, Latvia, Legislation, Society

The commission's head Evija Papule told reporters on Wednesday that, based on information available to the commission, one of the main reasons for the fainting spells was that children were tired due to waking up too early and going to sleep too late, as well as lack of normal lunches and, in some cases, dehydration. Steep changes in temperature were also a contributing factor.

In addition, there were too many children on the stage during the rehearsal, which could have prompted panic among the children.

At the next festival, there will be fewer children on the stage, although the total number of children participating in the festival will not reduce. Modern infrastructure needs to be created for the next Youth Song and Dance Festival, and there will be a chief health expert who will oversee the events and intervene if necessary.

Furthermore, the number and duration of concerts will be revised for the next festival, said Papule.

The commission will submit its report to Education and Science Minister Marite Seile , who will then decide what to do with the commission's findings. Papule said she believed that the commission's report would be made public, but that would be decided by the minister.

The commission, which held its last meeting yesterday, did not look into possible violations by the organizers of the festival.

As reported, taking into account that several dozen children experienced fainting spells during Gala concert's rehearsal, the Youth Song and Dance Festival procession on July 12 was canceled, but eventually, an estimated 98% of festival participants turned out to march through downtown Riga.