Sport in Helsinki

Helsinki has a long tradition of sports, the city gained much of its initial international recognition during the 1952 Summer Olympics, and the city has since then been very open to arranging sporting events. The Olympic Stadium is also home to the Sports Museum of Finland.[1] Helsinki hosts fairly successful local teams in both of the most popular team-sports in Finland, football and ice hockey. The later being a sport of passion for many Helsinkians, who usually take a stance for either of the local clubs HIFK or Jokerit. The strong culture of ice hockey has led to Helsinki becoming the birthplace of many legendary National Hockey League stars such as Teemu Selänne, Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen.

Olympic rings at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Although not as popular, rugby union is also played in the Finnish capital, which is represented by the Helsinki RC and Helsinki Warriors RC.

Olympics and other sporting events

Helsinki was elected host-city of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but due to World War II they were canceled. Instead Helsinki was the host of the 1952 Summer Olympics. The Olympics were a landmark event symbolically and economically for Helsinki and Finland as a whole that was recovering from the winter war and the continuation war fought with the Soviet Union.

Helsinki was also in 1983 the first ever city to host the World Championships in Athletics. Helsinki also hosted the event in 2005, thus also becoming the first city to ever host the Championships for a second time.

The city hosted the final stages of the 1967 EuroBasket and was chosen as one of the co-hosts for the 2017 EuroBasket.

The Helsinki City Marathon has been held in the city every year since 1980, usually in August.

Naisten kymppi is an annual running or walking event for women, held in Helsinki at the end of May.[2]

A Formula 3000 race through the city streets was held on May 25, 1997.

In 2009 Helsinki was host of European Figure Skating Championships.

Club Main sport League Venue
HIFK Ice hockey SM-liiga Helsinki Ice Hall
Jokerit Ice hockey KHL Hartwall Areena
HJK Football Veikkausliiga, Naisten liiga Sonera Stadium
HIFK Fotboll Football Veikkausliiga Sonera Stadium
FC Viikingit Football Kakkonen Vuosaaren urheilukenttä
Torpan Pojat Basketball Naisten Korisliiga Töölö Sports Hall
Helsinki Seagulls Basketball Korisliiga Töölö Sports Hall
SSV Helsinki Floorball Salibandyliiga Pasila Sports Hall
Tapanilan Erä Floorball Salibandyliiga, Naisten Salibandyliiga Mosahalli
Helsinki Wolverines American Football Vaahteraliiga Helsinki Velodrome
Helsinki Roosters American Football Vaahteraliiga Helsinki Velodrome
Helsinki 69ers American Football Vaahteraliiga Helsinki Velodrome
HIFK Bandy Bandy Bandyliiga Kallio Ice Rink
Botnia-69 Bandy Bandyliiga Oulunkylä Ice Rink

References
  1. Crawford, Scott A.G.M. (2006). "The Sports Museum of Finland Helsinki, Finland". Journal of Sport History. 33 (2): 248–251. ISSN 0094-1700. JSTOR 43611713.
  2. Scheerder, Jeroen; Breedveld, Koen; Borgers, Julie, eds. (2015). Running across Europe: The Rise and Size of one of the Largest Sport Markets. p. 135. doi:10.1057/9781137446374. ISBN 978-1-137-44637-4.
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