An athletics tournament in memory of Liova Taicas (1952-2009) has been held annually in Šiauliai since 2010.

Chess, ping-pong, basketball and inside soccer matches were held this year with 123 contestants from the city and region of Šiauliai, Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Klaipėda, Ukmergė, Žagarė and even Israel. Israeli ambassador to Lithuania Amir Maimon, Lithuanian MP Viktorija Čmilytė Nielsen, Rabbi Kalev Krelin, deputy mayor of Šiauliai Justinas Sartauskas, deputy head of the Šiauliai regional administration Algis Mačiulis, chairmen of the regional Jewish communities and many other members and friends participated.

Liova Taicas and Oser Gleizer were active members in Šiauliai of broader a group who sought to resurrect the Makabi athletics club in the 1988-1989 period, as Lithuania was breaking away from the Soviet Union. Both became directors of Makabi in Šiauliai and organized sporting events, mainly involving the then-large Lithuanian Jewish communities.

Following Taicas’s death, Gleizer proposed holding annual sporting events to honor Taicas and his contributions to the Jewish athletics movement. The 10th Liova Taicas memorial tournament was held on February 10 of this year.