Winter Sports Festival - Finnish Ski Association 1908-2008
Finnish Ski Association was born in 1908 when " Association to advance Finnish Ski Sports" was established. The association started to develop into the Finnish Ski Association, one of the most remarkable sports organisations in Finland, which also has a strong position internationally. Anniversary exhibition tells about events from the past hundred years through athletes, Olympics and FIS World Championships. Lots of colourful competitions and unforgettable reminiscences come out.
Finnish ski racing internationalized in 1920's and first success came through Tapani Niku's bronze Olympic medal in Chamonix 1924 and Matti Raivio's victories in Lahti 1926 (30 km, 50 km). Veli Saarinen was the first Finnish skier who won gold medal in Lake Placid Olympics in 1932. In 1930's Kalle Jalkanen and many other Finnish skiers won medals in the Winter Olympics and Nordic World Ski Championships. Finland was successful especially in relay race.
After the wars in 1950's began the golden years in Finnish skiing. The brightest skiing medals went to Veikko Hakulinen and Kalevi Hämäläinen. Since Oslo Olympic Games in 1952 women have had a possibility to take part to the Olympics and FIS World Championships. Lydia Wideman, Siiri Rantanen, Mirja Hietamies and Sirkka Polkunen led Finnish women into success. In 1960's Eero Mäntyranta was unbeatable. Skier legend Juha Mieto made everybody know Finnish skiing in 1970's and his one-hundredth of a second lost in 15km skiing in Lake Placid 1980 has stayed in our memory. In 1970's Helena Takalo and Hilkka Riihivuori competed equally with soviet women skiers achieving gold and silver.
In 1980's queens in skiing were Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi and Marjo Matikainen. Numerous victories from FIS competitions and Olympics like Kirvesniemi's gold medals from Sarajevo and Lahti and Matikainen's gold medals from Calgary and Lahti made Finnish people ecstatic. Since 1980's Harri Kirvesniemi made a long and deserving career. Mika Myllylä and Jari Isometsä were the top names in 1990's. After the doping scandal in Lahti 2001 Finnish people didn't believe in Finnish skiing but at the moment especially Finnish women leaded by Virpi Kuitunen are at the top of the skiing.
Ski jumping came to Finland in 1870's and since 1908 there has been ski jumping competitions in Lahti. Top ski jumpers from 1920's and 1930's were e.g. Paavo Nuotio, Lauri Valonen and Esko Järvinen. 1950's and 1960's were the golden years in Finnish ski jumping. Matti Pietikäinen (Falun 1954) and Antti Hyvärinen (Cortina 1956) won the Norwegians first time in FIS competitions and Olympics. Juhani Kärkinen, Veikko Kankkonen and Niilo Halonen were also victorious. Brilliant Finnish sportsman Heikki Hasu achieved the first victory to Finland in Nordic combined in St. Moritz in 1948. Paavo Korhonen won Nordic combined race in Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti 1958. In 1970's Rauno Miettinen was a steady second in the Games and in 1980`s Jouko Karjalainen.
New success was brought by ski jumpers Tapio Räisänen, Jouko Törmänen and Pentti Kokkonen in the late 1970's. In 1980's Finland was almost unbeatable in ski jumping because of Jari Puikkonen and especially because of Matti Nykänen. The victories of Nykänen from every ski jumping event in Olympics in Calgary 1988 are still unbeatable achievement. In the early 1990's 16-year-old Toni Nieminen's performance in Albertville was incredible. Since the late 1990's Janne Ahonen has been on the top in ski jumping. Janne Ahonen is the only one who has won the European Ski Jumping "Four Hills" Tournament five times. Samppa Lajunen and Hannu Manninen have been successful in Nordic combined in last years.
Exhibition shows plenty of unforeseen objects like prizes and clothes from our top skiers and ski jumpers. It is possible to admire the medals from the well-known Finnish skiers and ski jumpers such as Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi, Veikko Hakulinen, Juha Mieto, Veikko Kankkonen and Toni Nieminen.
