The incident happened on October 12 in Inčukalna. Children train together with adults in the pool. According to the boy’s mother, while acting out the game situations, the student received several kicks on the stomach, chest and back, but after hitting the boy’s head with a hand, “everything remained black around the eyes” and he swam to the edge of the pool.
The boy reportedly turned to coach Vyacheslav Ternovsky, but he encouraged him to continue playing. As Ternovskis claimed to LTV, “unpleasant collisions happen” during water polo, but there was no fight.
“That someone openly hit someone – that was not the case. I refereed the game. I saw everything. There was, of course, no open attack,” Ternovskis said.
After training, a conflict broke out between Tokarev and the boy’s father, which injured the coach. On the other hand, in the hospital, the injured boy was found to have a concussion, as well as various scratches on his body. The boy is not attending school yet because he is dizzy and vomiting.
Both the emergency medical services and the police arrived at the scene.
Tokarev did not comment on the incident to LTV.
Water polo training in Inčukalni is provided by the association “Sport star”. It was excluded from the Latvian Swimming Federation a few years ago for non-fulfillment of financial obligations. On the other hand, Ternovski’s trainer’s certificate has expired, and recertification has not taken place, according to LTV. The content of the water polo training will be evaluated by the Education Quality State Service (IKVD).
Trainings were held in Russian. The IKVD explained that the use of the national language in classes is not mandatory if a state or municipal licensed educational program is not being implemented.
“Simply put, if it is, for example, an interest lesson carried out by an individual or, as in this case, a legal entity, then it can also take place in a foreign language, it is not stipulated that it must necessarily be in the national language,” the IKVD Supervision Department explained to LTV deputy director Maksims Platonovs.
On the other hand, the municipality of Sigulda region is currently gathering information and has convened a meeting of the responsible commission, which will probably decide on the termination of the premises lease agreement.