On Monday, people held a ‘training session’ outside the government’s office in central Vilnius in sub-zero temperatures to protest against the lockdown.
Under the current restrictions, indoor training is only allowed for professional athletes and all others are only allowed to train alone or in pairs outdoors.
"We want to send a message that we were not consulted [when the government] allowed two people to train in -15C. What's the use of it," Rokas Jankūnas, a coach from Sostinės Krepšinio Mokykla basketball school, told BNS. "We are ready to work safely. A basketball court is huge and it's possible to keep a distance."
In protest, a tennis court, a basketball court and a boxing ring were installed in Vincas Kudirka Square in the Lithuanian capital.
"Outdoor training is allowed as of today and this is what we are doing. We want to show by this that training conditions are not suitable," Arūnas Balžekas, co-founder of the Balžekas Tennis Academy, told BNS.
According to Balžekas, indoor training would be safer than beauty services, which have been allowed to resume as of Monday.
"One cannot suffocate one sector and allow others to work," he said, adding that “we want training in outdoor spaces to be allowed."
Also attending the event, swimming coach Igor Lapusinskij said the government should pay attention to the number of infection cases at sports clubs.
"We came to show that we need to reopen as it's high time for us to resume work. Neither children, nor people can work. Sport equals health, and health is important. We want the easing to be slightly different and for the number of cases at sports clubs to be looked at," he told BNS.
The outdoor ‘training session’ was also attended by football players, as well as boxing and Crossfit enthusiasts.
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