Sport in Brazil for the country. In athletics, well-known athletes are Adhemar da Silva, João Carlos de Oliveira, Joaquim Cruz, Maurren Maggi, Fabiana Murer and Thiago Braz da Silva. Brazil has produced Olympic medallists in swimming such as Ricardo Prado, Gustavo Borges and Fernando Scherer. César Cielo is an Olympic champion, world champion and world-record holder. Sailing and equestrianism are spectator sports, inaccessible to the general population. Well-known athletes include rider Rodrigo Pessoa and sailors Robert Scheidt, Marcelo Ferreira and brothers Lars and Torben Grael. Brazil is a strong country in judo, which was brought and developed by its large Japanese community. Olympic
Sport in Latvia Sport in Latvia Sports in Latvia include association football, ice hockey, basketball, athletics, rugby, tennis, cycling, and others. Association hockey is historically the most popular of the Latvian sports and is closely followed by basketball. Some of Latvia’s most notable athletes include hockey player Sandis Ozoliņš, football player Māris Verpakovskis, olympic javelin thrower Jānis Lūsis, two-time Olympic BMX champion Maris Strombergs, and basketball player Kristaps Porziņģis. Association football was the most popular sport in Latvia during the first period of independence (1918–1940). The Latvian national team participated in the final stage of the 2004 European Football Championship. The leading scorer