Athletics has become an integral part of the national identity of Finland. In Olympics, Finland has got full success in the Javelin Throw from the 1900's till date. Finland did produce some of the fines sprinters of the world. Hannes Kolehmainen was a Finnish athlete who competed successfully at the 1912 Olympics and also from 1920 till World War II. Only the United States could defeat Finland in both the track and the field events. This apart, football is no less a popular game in Finland. A large number of Finnish population is largely interested in this sport.
Motor sport in Finland became popular in the 1950's with the popularity of rallying competitions. The Finnish divers started dominating the rallying circuit from 1960's. The Neste Oil Rally in Finland attract nearly 500,000 spectators each year. In the F1 sector Keke Rosberg was a noted F1 driver of the 1980's. Kimi Hakinnen and Raikonnen are also noted F1 driver of Finnish origin.
The following links provide more information on Finland sports:
