Lauri Pihkala
Encyclopedia
Lauri Pihkala (January 5, 1888, Pihtipudas
– May 20, 1981) was the inventor of pesäpallo
, the Finnish
variant of baseball
. He also competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics
and in the 1912 Summer Olympics
.
Pihkala was an avid sports fan, and developed several games.
In 1908 he ranked 16th in the high jump competition
. He also participated in the discus throw event
but his result is unknown.
Four years later he was eliminated in the first round of the 800 metres competition
.
During the Finnish Civil War
he was responsible for propaganda in the White Guard
flying unit "Devils of Kuhmoinen" of major Hans Kalm. The unit is known for having committed several war crimes, such as summary execution
s of children at concentration camps.
He was also a far-right political activist, being a staunch supporter of eugenics
as a means to create a superior Finnish warrior race
. Also the roots of pesäpallo
derive from this racist idea, as it was meant to become a sport that would support military training.
Pihtipudas
Pihtipudas is a municipality of Finland.It is located in northern Central Finland along the highway 4 , about north of Jyväskylä in the province of Western Finland. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
– May 20, 1981) was the inventor of pesäpallo
Pesäpallo
Pesäpallo is a fast-moving ball sport that is quite often referred to as the national sport of Finland and has some presence in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and Northern Ontario in Canada...
, the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
variant of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. He also competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
and in the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
.
Pihkala was an avid sports fan, and developed several games.
In 1908 he ranked 16th in the high jump competition
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's high jump
The men's high jump was one of six jumping events on the athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on Tuesday, July 21, 1908.Twenty-two high jumpers from ten nations competed.-Records:...
. He also participated in the discus throw event
Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's discus throw
The men's discus throw was one of six throwing events on the Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics programme in London. The competition was held on July 16, 1908.42 throwers from eleven nations competed.-Records:...
but his result is unknown.
Four years later he was eliminated in the first round of the 800 metres competition
Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 metres
The men's 800 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The competition was held from Saturday, July 6,...
.
During the Finnish Civil War
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
he was responsible for propaganda in the White Guard
White Guard (Finland)
The White Guard was a voluntary militia that emerged victorious over the socialist Red Guard as part of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918...
flying unit "Devils of Kuhmoinen" of major Hans Kalm. The unit is known for having committed several war crimes, such as summary execution
Summary execution
A summary execution is a variety of execution in which a person is killed on the spot without trial or after a show trial. Summary executions have been practiced by the police, military, and paramilitary organizations and are associated with guerrilla warfare, counter-insurgency, terrorism, and...
s of children at concentration camps.
He was also a far-right political activist, being a staunch supporter of eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
as a means to create a superior Finnish warrior race
Übermensch
The Übermensch is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche posited the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra ....
. Also the roots of pesäpallo
Pesäpallo
Pesäpallo is a fast-moving ball sport that is quite often referred to as the national sport of Finland and has some presence in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and Northern Ontario in Canada...
derive from this racist idea, as it was meant to become a sport that would support military training.