Urheilu loi taistelijoita ja valveutuneita kansalaisia. Ajankuvia urheilun ja talvisodan vuorovaikutuksesta Turun Sanomien liberaalisessa linjassa

Authors

• Jan Westerberg Turun yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37449/ennenjanyt.137921

Keywords:

sotahistoria, talvisota, liikunta, urheilu, resilienssi, urheilujournalismi

Abstract

The Winter War affected Finnish society across all industries. The war also had diverse impacts on sports and physical activity. This article examines writings on sports and physical activity published in the Turun Sanomat newspaper during the Winter War. The writings describe the effect of the war on the societal status of sports and physical activity. There was also an inverse impact; sports and physical activity were considered to affect warfare. During the Winter War, sports were employed as a means of Finland’s international influence. Examples include international competitions and “sports ambassador activities”. In the writings, the impacts of the war on sports and physical activity are primarily described in an informative way, without taking a strong stance. For instance, it came naturally to inform the public of cancelled events. Meanwhile, the effect of sports and exercise on the war, e.g. in contributing to fitness to defend the country, is used as a topic that aims to influence the population’s morale. The articles on sports had a high profile in raising the national defence spirits. Emphasis was also put on the role and performance of individual athletes at the front line. The domestic press played a key role in nurturing the cultural resilience of sports and physical activity during the Winter War. This article describes the extent to which various themes were written about from the start until the end of the war.