Sports in Finland

Résumé du document

The study discusses sport and physical exercise in Finland as it is an important part of everyday life for the Finns. The findings and statistics of this study demonstrate that Finnish people watch and practise sports far more enthusiastically than many other nations.

The work shows some memories of the biggest sport event, which have ever been in Finland : the 1952 Olympic Games.

The paper also presents the most famous branches of sports in Finland: athletics, motorsports and wintersports. The chronology and the most legendary sporters and racers of sports are particularly mentioned.

Finland is a sportive nation like testify the several medals which this small country won during international competitions.

Extraits

[...] Cross- country skiing for the pleasure of winning races or keeping the body fit started in Finland on the threshold of the 1880s. Cross-country skiing is a national pastime and nearly all municipalities maintain ski tracks which are lit at night. There are tens of thousands of kilometres of marked and well-maintained ski trails in Finland. These include family-friendly trails and more demanding trails for experienced skiers, and special ski tours recommended for thrill-seekers in top physical condition. What's more, the ski trails are free for all to enjoy. [...]

[...] Motorsports Peoples use to divide the technical sports from the sports, because it doesn't meet with the basic requirement of sport, which is you have to make physical moving. We don't agree with them, because the aim of motorsports is also to beat competitors and be the best, and to entertain the public. So the difference is mainly that in motor sports sporters use some kind of techniques and mechanics. We can say that the racers just control the vehicle, but this is not true. [...]

[...] The young people in general has to do some kind of sport in the school, if we are looking just the membership of the sport clubs it rifles than of the Finnish children are members in a sport club, and almost everybody is interested in some kind of sport. The most popular is the cycling. There are differences in preferences between boys and girls. Aerobics, dancing, gymnastics and figure skating are dominated by girls, while boys are more into ice hockey, skateboarding, football and floor ball. There are also regional differences. [...]

[...] Local authorities maintain outdoor skating rinks on school sports fields and other suitable areas of flat space. There are indoor ice rinks all over the country. Some are modest in their amenities whilst others are well appointed indoor arenas especially those used for competitive ice hockey, the biggest spectator sport in Finland. Every winter the world's best marathon skaters gather in Kuopio in central Finland to compete against each other on the natural ice track on Lake Kallavesi. The Finland Ice Marathon, arranged since 1984, attracts thousands of recreational skaters as well as a large audience. [...]

[...] Ice hockey made its debut in Finland in 1899 in a game played in Helsinki. In 1927 the Finnish Skating Association formally introduced hockey as part of its program, and by 1933 Finland was playing internationally. Finnish ice hockey players such as Jari Kurri, Teemu Selänne and Saku Koivu have carved out successful professional careers in the North American National Hockey League, but it was not until 1995 that Finland won the ice hockey world championship for the first time. [...]