Olympic Games
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Finland at the Olympics
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They first competed at the Olympic Games in 1908. -
Finland have hosted the summer Olympic Games once, in Helsinki 1952. They were also scheduled to host the Olympics in 1940 when Tokyo pulled out, however the Games were cancelled altogether after the outbreak of WW2.
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In Stockholm, 1912, Finland began its domination of long-distance running events, when Hannes Kolehmainen won three gold and one silver medal.
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A wrestling bout in 1912 between Estonia's Martin Klein and Finland's Alfred Asikainen lasted 11 hours and 40 minutes before Klein finally won.
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In 1920, Distance runner Paavo Nurmi won three medals for Finland.
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In 1924, Paavo Nurmi won five gold medals; his Finnish teammate, Ville Ritola, wins four.
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In 1928, Paavo Nurmi picks up another three medals, including one gold.
Related Pages
- more trivia from each Country at the Olympic Games
- Helsinki Olympic Games 1952
