Sports
Finns enjoy taking part in sports and exercise and they are also keen on spectator sports.
According to a recent study by the European Commission, adults in Finland exercise more actively than their peers in the other EU countries. The most popular forms of exercise include cycling, cross-country skiing, gymnastics/aerobics and floorball. Winter sports appeal to the Finns, as one might expect, and "Pesäpallo", a Finnish variant of baseball, is a game that is only played in Finland.
Sports organisations and volunteer work are the cornerstones of Finnish sports culture and currently there are some 8,000 sports organisations. Today, 40 % of children and young Finns are active in a sports organisation. Municipalities organise sports and fitness activities and provide facilities. To maximise the use of available facilities at different times of the year, many sports fields, for example, are turned into outdoor ice rinks in winter.
In recent years, Finland has been internationally successful, for example, in ice hockey, swimming, skiing, ski jumping and motor sports. The 1952 Olympic Games were the most significant sports event ever hosted in Finland.
