Arvydas Juozaitis

Arvydas Juozaitis, born on 18 April 1956 in Vilnius, is a Lithuanian writer, philosopher, politician, cultural worker and former swimmer. He swam for the Soviet Union at the 1976 Summer Olympics, where he won bronze in the 100 metres breaststroke and finished sixth in the 200 metres breaststroke. Beyond sport he became a public figure in the Lithuanian independence movement: in 1988 he was a member of the Sąjūdis Initiative Group, and he registered as a candidate in the 2019 Lithuanian presidential election. In that campaign he opposed deeper European integration while backing NATO, argued for a Europe of nations, and favoured closer ties between Lithuania and Latvia, including a possible confederation.