The massage championship 2026

Amid the peak of Latvia’s golden autumn and as Jūrmala City’s Health Month ended, the 5th Massage Championship of the Nordic Countries was successfully held on October23-24, 2026. The event was organised by the P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia in cooperation with the International Massage Association (IMA).

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PHOTO GALLERY
23 October 2026 – Championship Day for Students
24 October 2026 – Championship Day for Professionals

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​​​​​​​​​​The success of previous championships, together with this year’s event, confirms that the championship is establishing itself as a strong platform for professional development. It offers participants an opportunity to refine their skills and knowledge, learn from international colleagues, establish new professional contacts, and demonstrate their expertise to an international jury in both the Classical massage category and the Freestyle massage category.

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This year, the championship retained its established format, with the event taking place over two days. The first day was dedicated to students, while the second brought together practising massage professionals.

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At the opening of both days, participants were welcomed and encouraged by Iveta Strode, Director of P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia and the initiator of the championship, and Jeppe Tengbjerg, CEO of the IMA. The opening of Student Competition Day was also attended by Laima Grobiņa, Head of the Welfare Department of Jūrmala City Municipality, who wished the participants a successful day. At the opening of Professional Competition Day, attendees were additionally welcomed by Terēze Beļkova, cosmetologist and lead methodologist for the GMT Beauty brand, and Gatis Goba, massage therapist and member of the board of the Latvian Masseurs Association.

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Each year, the championship programme is enriched by masterclasses led by representatives of the IMA, adding further value to the event and the experience it offers. On the first day, participants and visitors could attend a masterclass entitled “Chair Massage Techniques”, led by massage therapist Kinga Katalin Jenei (Romania). On the second day, Jeppe Tengbjerg (Denmark) invited participants to a practical masterclass introducing them to Thai massage techniques.

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As the championship organiser, P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia greatly values every student's participation, motivation and willingness to take part in this challenge, which tests professional skills and knowledge. We extend our sincere thanks to all the students who participated, representing the P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia, Riga Medical College of the University of Latvia, The Red Cross Medical College of Rīga Stradiņš University, Daugavpils University Daugavpils Medical College, Turība University, the Business and Hospitality Training Centre (VESK), Klaipėdos valstybinė kolegija and Klaipėdos Ernesto Galvanausko profesinio mokymo centras.

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Award winners – Student Competition Day, 23 October 2026
CLASSICAL MASSAGE CATEGORY – 1st place Roberta Seniūnė (LT), 2nd place Jolanta Lapeikė (LT), 3rd place Inga Sergejeva (LV)
FREESTYLE MASSAGE CATEGORY – 1st place Justina Pranciulė (LT), 2nd place Roberta Seniūnė (LT), 3rd place Vladislavs Ogibalovs (LV).

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On 24 October, the second day of the 5th Massage Championship of the Nordic Countries brought a genuine sense of professional celebration. The atmosphere was filled with the joy of reconnecting, the formation of new friendships, the exchange of experience and the development of new professional partnerships. Participants from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia gathered for the Professional Competition Day. As in previous years, the Freestyle Massage category was particularly anticipated by both the international jury and visitors. Each massage therapist demonstrated their professionalism and delivered a confident performance, living up to the audience's expectations.

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Award winners – Professional Competition Day, 24 October 2026
CLASSICAL MASSAGE CATEGORY – 1st place Gabrielė Vilkonytė (LT), 2nd place Jekaterina Titova (LV), 3rd place Dana Kalniņa (LV).
FREESTYLE MASSAGE CATEGORY – 1st place Jūlija Zabiņako (LV), 2nd place Daria Sushkina (LT), 3rd place Gabrielė Vilkonytė (LT).

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We extend our sincere thanks to the international jury for their work throughout both days of the championship: Kinga Katalin Jenei (Romania), Laura Lannusalu (Estonia), Benita Bartoševičienė (Lithuania), Dita Bērziņa (Latvia) and Marija Livčāne-Rodzeviča (Latvia).

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When organising each Massage Championship of the Nordic Countries, the P. Stradins Medical College of the University of Latvia team is committed to creating a high-quality, inspiring event focused on development and bringing together professionals from across the massage industry. The contribution of the championship's cooperation partners and supporters is essential to achieving this goal.

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We would like to express our gratitude for their continued trust and are proud of our longstanding partnership with the championship's general sponsor, GMT Beauty, a professional cosmetic brand developed in Latvia.

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We are also delighted that the fifth edition of the championship received valuable additional support from Pranamat Eco, which contributed to the prize fund and the arrangements for presenting awards and tokens of appreciation. We would like to thank Olga Grigorenko, co-owner of the brand, for attending the event and introducing visitors to the Pranamat Eco story and the findings of clinical studies on the effectiveness of the brand's acupressure mats.

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We are grateful to Jūrmala State City Municipality and the following companies for their trust and support of the organisers' initiatives: JSC Madara Cosmetics, LLC Kemern Cosmetics, Jūrmala SPA Hotel, LLC ARDELINE, LLC BALTIC PHARMABRIDGE and LLC VENDEN. We also extend our thanks for the informational support provided by the Latvian Masseurs Association and the Latvian Physical Medicine Association.