FINland v SWEden

Finland proposed a track and field international match to Sweden already in 1915. However, the neighbour wasn't very keen on the idea. The official reason cited was economic disagreements. Especially in Finland, it has also been speculated that Scandinavian sports authorities were hesitant to compete against Finland due to the unclear political status of the region.

A full-scale international match did not come to pass immediately at the beginning of the 1920s. Relations between Finland and Sweden were poor due to, among other things, the Åland Islands question. Additionally, there were disputes in Finland over foreign policy orientation and the language.

It made sense for Finland and Sweden to compete against each other. Both countries dominated European athletics in the early 1920s. Matches against other small European countries would have been too uneven.

The first Finland v Sweden match (Finnkampen, Ruotsi-ottelu) was held in early September 1925 in Helsinki at the Eläintarha Ground, which had received a new cinder track. In 2022, a plaque from World Athletics was attached to the main building of the ground in honour of the unique match that continued to this day.

In all events except for relays, two Finnish and two Swedish athletes competed.  The programme included all modern events of championship competitions except the marathon, 400-metre hurdles, 3000-metre steeplechase, decathlon, and racewalking. There was only one relay (100+200+300+400 metres).

Some technical inventions were experimented. Perhaps the most significant was the Magnavox, a megaphone for the announcer, which ensured better service to the audience.

The match was a clear success with the audience. On the first day, despite the chilly weather, approximately 9,000 spectators gathered in the stands, with 3,000 more the following day. The President of Finland watched the games from his box.

Point scorer Sten-Pelle

Sten "Sten Pelle" Pettersson, the bronze medalist in the high hurdles at the Paris Olympics and a 31-time Swedish champion, collected several points for his team. He won the first event of the first day, the 110-metre hurdles, with a time of 15.3. In addition, he contributed to the victory of the Swedish team in the 1000-metre relay and finished second in the 100 and 200.

After several years of hiatus, Erik Åström, who had regained good form in 1925, scored full points in the 200 and 400, equaling the Finnish record of Erik Wilén with a time of 49.0. Additionally, he finished second in the 1000-metre relay with the Finnish team.

Nurmi outstanding

Paavo Nurmi had lost some of his speed during his grueling tour of North America. Therefore, he skipped the 800 and instead ran the 5K and 10K. In the 10,000, the Flying Finn ran solo with a winning time of 30:40.2, a time surpassed only by him and Ville Ritola in the world. Nurmi beat Eero Berg, who won the bronze in Antwerp, by almost a minute.

Nurmi's run looked so effortless that someone shouted from the stands in the early laps,
 

"Nurmi, is your watch slow?"

Vilho Tuulos, the Olympic champion in the triple jump, won both horizontal jumps. In both events, he hit the even numbers of the metric world (7.00, 22-11 5/8 and 15.00, 49-2½).

Niittymaa and Kivi with world-class results

In addition to Åström, there were a couple of others who set their personal bests in the match. The Olympic champion in the shot put, Ville Pörhölä, the Bear of Röyttä, threw the brass ball 14.87 (48-9¾) and won the event.

The Olympic silver medalist in Paris, Vilho Niittymaa, beat the future Olympic silver medalist in Amsterdam, Antero Kivi, in the discus. With results of 46.11 (151-4) and 45.63 (149-8) respectively, the Finnish duo ranked among the top six in the world in 1925.

A world-class Swedish hammer duo dominated the wire ball throw. Carl Johan "Massa" Lindh won, and Ossian Skiöld took second place with a clear lead over the best Finn.

From the stands to the track

In the 800, Finland had to put a national-level runner, Harry Ekqvist (later Eljanko), from the stands onto the track. To his fortune, the pace was slow, and Ekqvist surprised everyone by taking second place with a strong finish.

Finland won the historic debut match with a score of 99–85.

Decades later, "Sten-Pelle" Pettersson recalled the first Finnkampen in a Swedish television film. "We went into the competition believing we were the clear favourites, but we soon realized what the Finnish concept of 'sisu' (guts) means. I did win the opening event, but after that, they just ran right over us."

Following the match, on the Monday, Swedish guests were offered coffee at the Suomenlinna Officer's Club and shown around. On Tuesday, a 10-minute film of the games was shown to the guests at the Bio-Bio cinema (Heikinkatu, now 10, Mannerheimintie).