The inception of an Olympics for the arts was the brainchild of Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic games. Olympic medals were distributed on eight occasions to works of art inspired by sport. The categories covered were architecture, literature, music, painting and graphic art together with sculpture. The last time this was organised was at the London Olympics of 1948.

Quite apart from the main sporting events, the Finnish performances in London were excellent in the artistic competitions, too.  The literature category was won by Aale Tynni with her poem ‘Hellan laakeri’ (‘The laurels of Hellas’), whilst in the architecture category Yrjö Lindegren’s work Varkauden yleisurheilukeskus (‘The Varkaus athletics centre’) also won gold. In the music category, Kalervo Tuukkanen’s composition Karhunpyynti (‘The bear hunt’) won a silver medal. These artistic Olympics ended after the London games, since it was reckoned that artists were professional and the Olympics were for amateur sportsmen and women. From 1956 were replaced by a parallel ‘Cultural Olympiad’.

Aale Tynni wins Olympic Gold in Muonio – Yle radio archives

In the archived series Kiveen hakatut (‘Inscribed in stone’) from 2007, the producer for YLE Sports, Arto Teronen and reporter Jouko Vuolle stand by the gravestones of twelve Finnish sportsmen and women, and influential figures in the world of sport, and reflect on their life and work: “Aale Tynni, despite winning gold, has no Olympic rings inscribed on her gravestone.”

Sources and further information (in Finnish):

• ’Suomella hyviä muistoja Lontoon olympialaisista’ (’Good memories of the London Olympics for Finns’), Ylen Elävä arkisto, Finnish Broadcasting Company archives, June 14, 2012. Accessed March 16, 2015.
• ’Aale Tynni voitti olympiakullan Muoniossa’, Ylen Elävä arkisto, Finnish Broadcasting Company archives, May 7, 2008. Accessed March 16, 2015.
• ’60 vuotta viimeisistä kulttuuriolympialaisista: Aale Tynni runoili kultaa, (’Sixty years since the last cultural olympiad – Aale Tynni composes a gold medal poem’) Suomen Kuvalehti magazine, August 19, 2008
• ”Runoillen olympiavoittajaksi - Aale Tynni”, Kuopio City Library website. Accessed March 16, 2015.
• Photographic image of Aale Tynni, Wikimedia Commons. Accessed March 16, 2015