Estonian speed skater to represent Latvia

Would the last to leave the country please turn out the lights?

The local media recently announced that Estonian speed skater Eerik Idarand will compete for the Republic of Latvia. Articles carried detailed descriptions of who handled his application, but failed to mention why. Had he gone to Old Europe, we’d conclude he was going to build houses on the side. But Latvia does have a more developed a hockey culture—and more rinks. Perhaps Mr. Idarand simply got tired of training on his local farm pond?