By Daspina Hasanova
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. The coastal city of
Palanga is preparing to welcome thousands of athletes and
supporters from around the globe for the 12th World Lithuanian
Sports Games, taking place July 3鈥6, Trend reports.
This traditional amateur sports festival celebrates global
Lithuanian identity through sport, culture, and community.
This year鈥檚 Games are set to be the largest yet, with nearly
3,000 participants registered from 35 countries. Among them, for
the first time in the event鈥檚 history, will be a team representing
the Lithuanian community in Austria.
According to Elena 艩atait臈-Survilien臈, head of the Austrian
Lithuanian Community, the motivation to participate runs just as
deep as for communities traveling from far-off countries like
Australia or Canada.
鈥淭hough geographically close to Lithuania, we feel the same
strong desire to reconnect with friends, family, and fellow
Lithuanians from all over the world,鈥 said 艩atait臈-Survilien臈.
Austria鈥檚 Lithuanian community is relatively small, with around
2,000 Lithuanians living in the country and about 200 regularly
attending community events. The team traveling to Palanga will
include 20 participants鈥攁 modest delegation, but one that
艩atait臈-Survilien臈 views as a meaningful beginning.
鈥淚t may be a small start, but every tradition has to begin
somewhere,鈥 she noted.
She herself will compete in the Nordic walking event, while her
husband will represent the community in the 3×3 basketball
tournament. Austrian Lithuanians will also participate in
competitions ranging from dragon boat races and shooting to tennis,
golf, and running.
A New Generation Builds Community Through Heritage
艩atait臈-Survilien臈 emphasized that events like the World
Lithuanian Sports Games are particularly important for young people
growing up in the diaspora.
鈥淎s a community leader, I鈥檝e had the chance to attend various
meetings and forums for Lithuanians abroad. I admit I sometimes
feel a bit envious of the older, larger communities that have had
generations to grow, with deeply rooted traditions and a strong
culture of engagement. By contrast, our community in Austria is
still young鈥攚e鈥檙e only beginning to create our own traditions and
learn how to foster lasting connections and strengthen our
Lithuanian identity,鈥 she said.
A musician and composer by profession, 艩atait臈-Survilien臈 has
lived in Austria for over six years. Prior to that, she and her
husband, who pursued an academic career, spent three years in
Helsinki, Finland. She acknowledged that not all modern emigrants
feel compelled to maintain their Lithuanian identity while
鈥淢any young people in Europe, due to geographic closeness,
cultural similarity, and the ease of travel and communication,
don鈥檛 feel cut off from Lithuania the way earlier generations did.
They often don鈥檛 seek out local Lithuanian communities,鈥 she
But for many, that changes with parenthood.
Now raising two young daughters, 艩atait臈-Survilien臈 shared that
having children sparked a deeper desire to connect with
鈥淲hen kids enter the picture, parents often want to pass on
their language and culture, to show them where their grandparents
live and how holidays are celebrated in Lithuania. That鈥檚 when many
families turn to Lithuanian weekend schools and local community
groups,鈥 艩atait臈-Survilien臈 articulated.
She currently teaches at the Lithuanian heritage school in
Vienna and described events like the Sports Games鈥攁nd last year鈥檚
Song Festival鈥攁s vital experiences for children.
鈥淭hese gatherings show our kids that they鈥檙e not alone. There
are many other little Lithuanians out there, even if they don鈥檛 all
speak the language fluently, who care about their roots and want to
connect with Lithuania. It鈥檚 empowering for them to be among peers
with shared heritage. Diaspora children have a unique dual
identity, and it鈥檚 something we should nurture and celebrate,鈥 she
Celebrating Visibility and Unity
艩atait臈-Survilien臈 hopes that the atmosphere in Palanga will be
as moving and inspiring as the 2024 Song Festival.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a very specific, hard-to-describe feeling of unity and
togetherness at these events. That feeling is what fuels our
day-to-day work in the diaspora,鈥 she noted.
She added that visibility at such events helps grow community
engagement.
鈥淚f people hear about the Austrian-Lithuanian community and see
us out there, maybe more second- and third-generation Lithuanians
will join us. Being together is our greatest value,鈥 she added.
The World Lithuanian Sports Games鈥攐ften dubbed Lithuania鈥檚
national Olympics鈥攚ere first held in Kaunas in 1938. Interrupted
for decades by war and Soviet occupation, the tradition was revived
in 1978 in Toronto and later held in Chicago and Adelaide. Since
1991, the Games have been organized regularly in Lithuania.
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