Estonia Life-Style Sports
Sports
The popularity of many sports is associated with the success of Estonian athletes and their medals in these fields. Cross-country skiing has recently regained its significance for Estonians. Estonia sent 28 athletes to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, and as many as half of them competed in cross-country skiing where Estonia won the country's three gold medals. Kristina Šmigun and Andrus Veerpalu, double Olympic champions after the Turin Winter Olympics, were instantly regarded as national idols whilst ski-fever swept over Estonians and skis were sold out everywhere in just a few weeks.
In truth, skiing has almost always been the most famous and popular winter sport and in some years the 63-km-long Tartu Maraton ski race has brought together more than 10,000 skiers from all over the world.
Only recently has football become more popular in Estonia than basketball which at one time was considered almost a national game. National basketball finals still bring together a number of passionate supporters that can rarely be witnessed at any other national sport event. In football anything similar could be possible only at international matches where the Estonian team meets a world leading national team.
During winter there are in-door facilities for aerobics, bodybuilding, wrestling, skating, swimming, volleyball, badminton, tennis, squash and athletics.
In summer there are even more open-air activities to engage in - swimming, biking, horse-riding, canoeing, tennis, badminton, football, frisbee, volley-ball, etc. Unfortunately, the capital does not have many biking or roller-blade paths. However, in other towns and cities the traffic is not as hectic and there are more biking possibilities. During warm and sunny summer days, one of the best ways to combine sightseeing in the beautiful countryside with exercise is to go canoeing on the rivers. More information on these options is available on tourist information webpages.
MOFA. Estonia. Sports without Boundaries
Club Tartu Maraton
Estonian Sports News - in Estonian
