Estonia at the Olympics
Estonia has a long history with the Olympic Games, but in changing circumstances. Estonia gained its independence from Russia in 1918 and was represented as such in the Summer Games in 1920 held at Antwerp, Belgium. Prior to this, Estonia was part of the Russian Empire, and Estonian athletes competed for Russia. Between 1920 and 1940 Estonian athletes participated in the Olympic Games under the name Estonia, then it became part of the Soviet Union. Estonia again gained independence in 1991, and has participated in all Olympics since then.
Estonian athletes however benefited greatly from the training that they received when Estonia was still part of the Russian Empire which is why they were able to snag one gold and two silver medals from the 1920 Summer Games.
Trivia
- A wrestling bout in 1912 between Estonia's Martin Klein and Finland's Alfred Asikainen lasted 11 hours and 40 minutes before Klein finally won.
- The 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics Sailing regatta was held in the Estonian capital city of Tallinn.
- There are only two instances (1932 and 1996) where Estonia participated in the Summer Games independently where they did not manage to win a single Olympic medal.
- Triplets Leila, Liina and Lily Luik from Estonia made history in Rio 2016 when they took part in the marathon event, becoming the first identical triplets to compete against each other.
Related Pages
- Estonia at the Winter Olympics
- List of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
- About sport in Estonia
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events