Lauri Pihkala

File:Tahko-Pihkala-1988.jpg

A 1988 postage stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala.

Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala (born Gummerus, 5 January 1888 – 20 May 1981) was the inventor of pesäpallo, the Finnish variant of baseball.<ref name=hall/> He was born in the vicarage of Pihtipudas, the son of the minister Alexander Gummerus.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1969 he became one of the first persons to receive an honorary doctorate in Sport Sciences from the University of Jyväskylä, together with president Urho Kekkonen and Professor Kaarina Kari.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Athletics

Lauri Pihkala at the Olympic Games

Games	Event	Rank	Results	Notes
1908 Summer Olympics	High jump	16th	Template:Convert	Height was measured in inches. Source:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
	Discus throw	12th–42nd	unknown	Source:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
	Shot put	Did not start		Source:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1912 Summer Olympics	800 metres, heats	Did not finish

In the 1910s, he became the first Finnish professional coach in athletics and also worked as a physical education instructor with the Finnish Army.<ref name=hall>Lauri Pihkala (1888-1981). Suomen urheilun Hall of Fame</ref>

Pihkala was known for being an avid sports fan, and he developed several outdoor games.

Other

During the Finnish Civil War, he was responsible for propaganda in the White Guard flying unit "Devils of Kuhmoinen" of major Hans Kalm.

Pihkala's brother Martti Pihkala was a right-wing political activist. Lauri Pihkala didn't write any political texts in his publications. He tried to integrate the Finnish working class into society and hoped that sports could be one tool there.<ref name="virtapohja">Template:Cite book</ref>

Some writers have claimed that Pihkala took part in the massacre in Harmoinen village in March 1918.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Others claim that while the murderers indeed belonged to Devils of Kuhmoinen, Pihkala was not present at the time of the massacre.<ref>Virtapohja, pp. 89–93.</ref>

Memorial of Pihkala by sculptor Nina Sailo was unveiled in 1988 on the south-east side of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Pihkala was a supporter of eugenics with the goal of strengthening Finland's military.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Lauri Pihkala in 375 humanists 6.1.2015, Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki
• List of Finnish athletes 1906–1912 Template:Webarchive
• Template:Sports links