- Lauri Pihkala
Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala (
January 5 1888 –May 20 1981 ) was the inventor ofpesäpallo , the Finnish variant ofbaseball . He also competed in the1908 Summer Olympics and in the1912 Summer Olympics .Pihkala was an avid sports fan, and developed several games.
In 1908 he 16th in the high jump competition. He also participated in the discus throw event but his result is unknown.
Four years later he was eliminated in the first round of the 800 metres competition.
During the
Finnish Civil War he was responsible for propaganda in the White Guard flying unit "Devils of Kuhmoinen" of majorHans Kalm . The unit is known for having committed several war crimes, such assummary execution s of children at concentration camps. [Tukkinen, Tauno: Naiskapinallisten teloitukset Lahdessa 1918.]He was also a far-right political activist, being a staunch supporter of
eugenics as a mean to create a superior Finnish warrior race. Also the roots ofpesäpallo derive from thisracist idea, as it was meant to become a sport that would support military training. [Karkama, Pertti & Koivisto, Hanne: Ajan paineessa - Kirjoituksia 1930-luvun suomalaisesta aatemaailmasta.]External links
* [http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/ath06fim.html list of Finnish athletes]
References
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