Estonia and the Winter Olympics

Text Timo Raussi

Photos Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum / Uku Peterson

The world’s best winter athletes are currently competing at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. The strongest Estonian performance so far has come from Kristjan Ilves, who won the ski jumping section of the Nordic combined normal hill event, but slipped back on the cross-country course, finishing sixth.

Estonia’s Winter Olympic history began at the 1928 St. Moritz Games, with two speed skaters—Christfried Burmeister and Aleksander Mitt—taking part. Burmeister had been set to represent Estonia four years earlier at the Winter Sports Week in Chamonix, whose title was later retrospectively changed to the first Winter Olympics. He canceled his trip at the last minute, but news of his withdrawal never reached the organisers, so the Estonian flag flew in the opening ceremony alongside those of the 16 participating nations.

Before the Second World War and the subsequent Soviet occupation, Estonia managed one more appearance under its own flag, at the 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Games. Those Games also marked the Olympic debut of Estonian women: figure skater Helene Michelson with her partner Eduard Hiop, and alpine skier Karin Peckert-Forsman, who competed in downhill, slalom, and the alpine combined.

A history of medal celebrations

As a small nation, Estonia has inevitably trailed behind the great powers and Finland in medal counts. Before this year, Estonian athletes had taken home eight Winter Olympic medals—four gold, two silver and two bronze. The first medals for independent Estonia were won at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games: Jaak Mae earned bronze in the 15 km classical, while Andrus Veerpalu won gold in the same event and silver in the 50 km.

Before their achievements, however, speed skater Ants Antson had already stood atop the podium, winning gold for the Soviet Union in the 1500 m at the 1964 Innsbruck Games. At Salt Lake City’s opening ceremony, Kristjan Ilves’s role model Allar Levandi carried the Estonian flag; Levandi won bronze in the Nordic combined for the USSR at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

Those wishing to explore Estonia’s sporting heroes, sporting heritage, and Olympic achievements can do so at the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum in Tartu. Far from being an old-fashioned hall of display cases, the museum is an interactive experience centre that encourages hands-on participation.

A tip of the hat—and a deep bow

It’s also worth remembering that since 1991, Estonia has taken part in the Winter Paralympics five times. At the 1994 Lillehammer Games, Vilma Nugis claimed Estonia’s only Paralympic Winter Games medal to date: bronze in the women’s B3 visually impaired 5 km cross-country race. In a sense, she can be considered the very first athlete to win a Winter Games medal in Estonia’s blue-black-white colours.

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Allar Levandi Kristjan Ilves Olympic champion Paralympics Sport sports museum Vilma Nugis Winter Olympics