WE GO AGAIN
KEVIN McCALLUM: If you don’t have a sport in Finland, just invent a new one
‘The long, dark winters mean the Finns go a little crazy in the summer. Add in booze for some wonderful madness’
And so, to Finland, where the New York Times is reporting this week that the country has "sort of lost its sports mind". Finland, the country that gave us the calm majesty of Sami Hyypia, the genius of Jari Litmanen, the dry smile of Mika Hakkinen, the dead face of Kimi Raikkonen and the swashbuckling party that was Keke Rosberg, has just hosted the 20th annual Swamp Soccer World Championships.
The Times reminds us Finland also hosts the Wife Carrying World Championships, Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships, World Berry Picking Championship and Air Guitar World Championships. As Paivi Kemppainen, a swamp soccer player and fan, told Andrew Keh of the Times: "We have some weird hobbies." Perhaps the most famous mascot in Finland is Jetta, a "stuffed badger ensconced in a bird cage". Keh explains it perfectly: "Jetta acts as a mascot of sorts for a team of 12 friends who make the seven-hour drive each year from Vihti, near Helsinki, for the competition.
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