Sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

plays an important role in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n culture. Estonia first competed as a nation at the 1920 Summer Olympics, although the National Olympic Committee was established in 1923. Estonian athletes took part at every

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

until the country was annexed by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in 1940. The 1980 Summer Olympics sailing regatta was held in the capital city

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

. Estonia has won most of its

Olympic medals An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid o ...

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...

, and cross-country skiing.

Athletics

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

is popular in Estonia, shown by number of medals won this field of sport.

Jüri Lossmann Jüri Lossmann ( – 1 May 1984) was an Estonian Long-distance running, long distance runner. He finished second in the marathon at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, at 2:32:48.6, trailing Hannes Kolehmainen by 13 seconds, but beating the thi ...

came in second on the marathon at the

1920 Olympic Games The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

. Aleksander Klumberg won the bronze medal in 1924 in the men's decathlon competition. Between 2000 and 2009, Estonia scored at least one medal in major international competition in every year:

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, and 2009. Before that, Erki Nool won the gold medal in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

. * Notable athletes in Estonia: Erki Nool,

Gerd Kanter Gerd Kanter (born 6 May 1979) is a retired Estonian discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance th ...

, Andrus Värnik,

Rasmus Mägi Rasmus Mägi (born 4 May 1992) is an Estonian hurdler. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed in the Men's 400 metres hurdles without qualifying for the semifinals. He won the silver medal at the 2014 European Championships. Mägi came in six ...

Aleksander Tammert Aleksander Tammert (born 2 February 1973) is an Estonian discus thrower. Athletics career Tammert competed at the 2004 Olympics and originally finishing fourth, but as gold medal winner Róbert Fazekas was disqualified, Tammert received the br ...

Pavel Loskutov Pavel Loskutov (born 2 December 1969 in Valka, Latvia) is a former Estonian long-distance runner who specialized in marathon races. He has competed in the Olympic marathon race four times consecutively, from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the 2 ...

, Aleksander Klumberg

Basketball

Basketball is a notable sport in Estonia, and has often been called the "

national sport A national sport is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are ''de facto'' (not established by law) national sports, as sumo is in Japan and Gaelic games are in Ireland and field hockey in Pakistan, while othe ...

of Estonia".

Estonia national basketball team Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

participated in 1936 Summer Olympics and have appeared in EuroBasket six times. They had twice finished EuroBasket on 5th place before Soviet occupation. Many Estonian players also represented and won medals with the Soviet team. After regaining independence, Estonia finished Eurobasket 6th in 1993. The domestic top-tier basketball championship is called the

Korvpalli Meistriliiga The Korvpalli Meistriliiga ( en, Basketball Champions League), known as the OlyBet Korvpalli Meistriliiga for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier level and most important professional basketball league in Estonia. It is controlled by the Es ...

. BC Kalev/Cramo has the best results in the recent years, while University of Tartu team has won the league a record 26 times. Estonian clubs also participate in European and regional competitions.

Beach volleyball

* Kristjan Kais and Rivo Vesik have playing at the FIVB World Tour. In 2007, they won Zagreb Open and competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Their best result from

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

was 5th. Estonia featured national teams in beach volleyball that competed at the 2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup in both the women's and the men's sections.

Cricket

The Estonia Cricket Association (ECA) was formed in 2007 and became members of the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...

in 2008. The ECA runs Men's and Women's leagues, playing 40-40, T20 and Super 8's competitions. It has member clubs in

and Tartu.

is also home to a unique variant of the game in Ice cricket. The Ice Cricket World Championship was held annually in the Estonian city of

played upon the surface of a frozen lake.

Cycling

Jaan Kirsipuu Jaan Kirsipuu (born 17 July 1969 in Tartu) is an Estonian former road bicycle racer, who currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . He spent the majority of his career riding under the management of Vincent Lavenu, initial ...

has been the best Estonian road bicycle racer. He has won 4

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

stages and 1

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...

stage. Kirsipuu also wore the

yellow jersey The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot jaune ). History Th ...

for six days in the 1999 Tour de France. * Erika Salumäe is an Estonian track bicycle racer who won the first Olympic gold medal for Estonia after the country regained its independence in 1991. * Tanel Kangert has finished inside top 20 all the three Grand Tours - 13th place in

2013 Giro d'Italia The 2013 Giro d'Italia was the 96th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in Naples and finished in Brescia. Vincenzo Nibali of team Astana won the general classification. Teams As a UCI World Tour race, t ...

, 11th place in 2013 Vuelta a España and 20th place in

2014 Tour de France The 2014 Tour de France was the 101st edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race included 21 stages, starting in Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, on 5 July and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 27 July. The race ...

. In

he helped

Vincenzo Nibali ), The Nibbler , birth_date = , birth_place = Messina, Sicily, Italy , height = , weight = , currentteam = , discipline = Road , role = Rider , ridertype = Climber , proyears1 = 2005 , proteam1 = , proyears2 = 2006–2012 , protea ...

to take the first place in General classification. * Rein Taaramäe finished the

2011 Tour de France The 2011 Tour de France was the 98th edition of the race. It started on 2 July at the Passage du Gois and ended on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 24 July. The cyclists competed in 21 stages over 23 days, covering a distance of . The route e ...

in 11th place and won the 14th stage of 2011 Vuelta a España. He also held the white jersey for Stage 8 and 9 in the

2012 Tour de France The 2012 Tour de France was the 99th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in the Belgian city of Liège on 30 June and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 22 July. The Tour consisted of 21 stages, i ...

. * Aavo Pikkuus won 1976 Olympic gold medal with Soviet Union team time trial event.

Disc golf

2022 Women's Professional Disc Golf Champion,

Kristin Tattar Kristin Tattar (born 3 July 1992 in Pärnu) is an Estonian professional disc golfer and former competitive cross-country skier. Tattar is Estonia’s most successful disc golfer of all time, and as of 2022 she has achieved the highest PDGA rati ...

still resides in her hometown of

Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet ...

Fencing

Épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains ...

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

has been very successful for Estonia in the past few decades. Oksana Jermakova became the first fencing World Champion for Estonia winning Individual épée in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

. Irina Embrich has won the most total medals for Estonia.

Nikolai Novosjolov Nikolai Novosjolov (born 9 June 1980) is an Estonian right-handed épée fencer, two-time individual world champion, and four-time Olympian. Novosjolov competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 2012 Lon ...

became the world champion in 2010 and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. At 2013 Championships Julia Beljajeva also won the gold medal. At the

2018 European Championships The 2018 European Championships were the first edition of the European Championships. It was a multi-sport event which took place in Berlin, Germany, and Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom (with Edinburgh hosting the diving events and Gleneagles ...

Estonian women took a triple win in the individual épée. Both women's and men's épée teams have won championship medals. Women's épée team became the Olympic champions at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

. Estonia has won 17

World Fencing Championships The World Fencing Championships is an annual competition in fencing organized by the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (FIE; ''International Fencing Federation'' in English). Contestants may participate in foil, épée, and sabre events. Hi ...

medals and several European Fencing Championships medals. * Notable fencers in Estonia: Julia Beljajeva, Irina Embrich, Sven Järve, Oksana Jermakova, Kaido Kaaberma, Erika Kirpu,

Kristina Kuusk Kristina Kuusk (born 16 November 1985) is an Estonian épée fencer. Career Kuusk began fencing in 1992, coached by Helen Nelis-Naukas, Boris Joffe and Kaido Kaaberma. From 2017, Kuusk began training under Peeter Nelis. She has won team ép� ...

, Katrina Lehis,

and Maarika Võsu.

Floorball

Estonia men's national floorball team has been successful at the

with best result 7th and multiple 8th places.

Football

Football is one of the most popular sports in Estonia by number of active players, although nothing special has been achieved. Estonia advanced to the

2012 UEFA European Football Championship The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...

qualifying play-offs.

Freestyle skiing

Kelly Sildaru Kelly Sildaru (; born 17 February 2002) is an Estonian Olympic Games, Olympic Freestyle skiing, freestyle skier. Biography Sildaru won a gold medal in the slopestyle event in the Winter X Games XX, 2016 Winter X Games beating Tiril Sjåstad C ...

won women's slopestyle at 2015 Dew tour. At just 13 years old, Kelly Sildaru might be the smallest competitor in the field, but she brought the biggest run of the contest, spinning all four directions and showcasing technicality on the rails in the process. On the jumps, Kelly landed a switch right 900, right corked 720, switch left 900 and left 720, and the judges rewarded her with a 90.80 to put her into 1st place. Kelly won Gold in the slopestyle event in the 2016 Winter X Games beating Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen. With this win, at age 13, Kelly became the youngest gold medalist to date at an X Games winter event. She was the gold medal favorite for the women’s slopestyle event in 2018 Winter Olympics, but missed competing in the Games because of a knee injury. Her later career has not been so successful, but she managed to win bronze medal at the 2022 Olympics

Ice hockey

Ice hockey in Estonia is governed by the

Estonian Ice Hockey Association The Estonian Ice Hockey Association ( et, Eesti Jäähokiliit) is the national governing body of ice hockey in Estonia. Estonian membership in the International Ice Hockey Federation dated back to the 1930s, which had expired after the annexation ...

(Eesti Jäähokiliit). The top-tier league of men's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

in Estonia is the

Meistriliiga Meistriliiga (, known as the A. Le Coq Premium Liiga for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of the Estonian Football Association annual football championship. The league was founded in 1992, and was initially semi-professional with ...

(also known as ''Coolbet Hokiliiga'' for sponsorship reasons). The top-tier league of women's ice hockey in Estonia is the Naiste Hokiliiga.

Judo

Judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

is one of the most successful field of sport for Estonia. Since 1996, Estonia has won several medals in major international competitions. * 3 Olympic medals ** 3 Bronze medals:

and 2004. * 4

World Judo Championships The World Judo Championships are the highest level of international judo competition, along with the Judo at the Summer Olympics, Olympic judo competition. The championships are held once every year (except the years when the Olympics take place ...

medals ** 3 Silver medals:

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, 2001, 2003 and bronze medal in 2003. * 15 European Judo Championships medals. * Indrek Pertelson, Aleksei Budõlin and Martin Padar are the most famous Judo athletes in Estonia in the past years.

Motocross

Tanel Leok Tanel Leok (born 1 June 1985) is an Estonian professional motocross racer. He has competed in the Motocross World Championships since 2001. Early life Tanel was born in Võru, Estonia and currently resides in Balen, Belgium. His father, Arvo ...

is an Estonian

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

racer competing in the

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

in MX1 class.

Racing

Marko Asmer Marko Asmer (born 30 July 1984) is an Estonian racing driver, who won the British Formula 3 Championship title in 2007. Asmer is also the first Estonian to test a Formula One car, having tested for the Williams BMW team in 2003, after just hal ...

is an Estonian auto racing driver, whose career in single seater junior formula is notable for his British Formula Three Championship title in 2007. Asmer is also the first Estonian to test a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

car. *

Kevin Korjus Kevin Korjus (born 9 January 1993) is an Estonian racing driver. Career Karting Kevin Korjus was born in Tallinn, the son of former sidecarcross racer Aivar Korjus. He made his pan-European karting début in 2006, competing in the Rotax Max Euro ...

is an Estonian racing driver. He won the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 championship in 2010 and finished seventh in the

GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel. GP3 followed the entire European leg of the Formula One series and th ...

in 2013. *

Ralf Aron Ralf Aron (born 21 March 1998) is an Estonian former racing driver, who competed in the Italian F4 Championship, ADAC Formula 4 and European Formula 3 championships for Prema Powerteam and Hitech GP. He is now a team manager at Prema, but c ...

is an Estonian racing driver. He became champion in the Italian F4 Championship in 2015. *

Jüri Vips Jüri Vips (born 10 August 2000) is an Estonian professional racing driver, currently competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix. He is the 2017 ADAC Formula 4 champion, and formerly a member of the Red Bull Junior Team. ...

is an Estonian racing driver. Vips became champion of

2017 ADAC Formula 4 Championship The 2017 ADAC Formula 4 Championship was the third season of the ADAC Formula 4. It began on 29 April at Oschersleben and finished on 24 September at Hockenheim after seven triple header rounds. Teams and drivers In December 2016, ten teams and ...

. He is currently competing in the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...

with

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that has participated in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the IndyCar Series. Headquartered in Brownsburg, Indiana and Hilliard, Ohio, it is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 ...

. * Paul Aron is an Estonian racing driver. He is currently competing in the

FIA Formula 3 Championship The FIA Formula 3 Championship is a third-tier international single-seater racing championship and organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship launched in 2019 as a feeder series for the FIA Formula 1 W ...

with

Prema Racing Prema Powerteam (competing as Prema Racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the FIA Formula 3 Championship and European Le Mans Series and as Prema Orlen Team in the FIA World Endurance Championship) is a motorsport team from Italy. It mainly ...

. * Tõnis Kasemets is an Estonia racing driver. He has driven in

Champ Car World Series Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ( ...

. His maiden achievement is the 2022 IMSA Prototype Challenge championship title. * Sten Pentus is an Estonian racing driver who competed in Blancpain Sprint Series. * Martin Rump is an Estonian racing driver and currently compiting in

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the ...

. He is the only Estonian who has competed

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...

Rallying

Rallying is one of the most popular sport in Estonia. It has a long history in Estonia since the Soviet time, when half of the rally drivers of Soviet Union Rally Team were from

. Every year WRC Rally Estonia attracts thousands of rally fans to watch worlds best drivers competing. *

Markko Märtin Markko Märtin (born 10 November 1975 in Tartu) is a retired rally driver from Estonia, who competed in the World Rally Championship from 2000 until 2005. Career Märtin, as understudy to then-team mates Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, rose to ...

was the first Estonian who won a number of rallies in the

World Rally Championship The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the FIA. There are separate championships for drivers, co-drivers, manufacturers and t ...

. Markko has scored 5

WRC victories WRC may refer to: Broadcasting stations * WRC-TV, a television station (virtual channel 4, digital channel 34) licensed to Washington, D.C., United States * Several radio stations in the Washington, D.C. area: ** WTEM, a radio station (980 AM) l ...

, total of 18 podium finishes, 207 points and 101 stage wins. In 2004, he finished the season with 3rd place. Markko was one of the best rally drivers, but retired after an accident in 2005. Rally fans from Estonia continued to be interested in WRC, visiting

Rally Finland Rally Finland (formerly known as the Neste Rally Finland, Neste Oil Rally Finland, 1000 Lakes Rally and Rally of the Thousand Lakes; fi, Suomen ralli, sv, Finska rallyt) is a rally competition in the Finnish Lakeland in Central Finland. The ra ...

and other rallies. *

Ott Tänak Ott Tänak (; born 15 October 1987) is an Estonian rally driver and the 2019 World Rally Champion. He is currently teamed with Martin Järveoja and is competing for Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT. Tänak achieved his maiden drivers' world title in ...

is 2019 WRC Champion, and Martin Järveoja won the FIA World Rally Championship for Co-Drivers that season. Previously Tänak had repeated Märtin's achievement by finishing 3rd overall in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, winning his fifth rally in August 2018 and eventually surpassing Märtin by winning his sixth rally in September 2018. Tänak also finished 3rd overall in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, winning three rallies in a row and mathematically still being in the title race at the last rally of the season. He was the highest pointscorer for

Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT is a World Rally Championship (WRC) team based in Finland that serves as Toyota's official factory team. Its team principal is former WRC driver Jari-Matti Latvala. The team made its début during the 2017 season, where ...

that season, who won the Manufacturer's Championship that season. * Rally Estonia was added to the

calendar from 2020.

Rowing

Rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

is a popular sport in Estonia. One reason is

Jüri Jaanson Jüri Jaanson (born 14 October 1965) is the most successful Estonian rower of all time and the winner of five medals at World Rowing Championships. He became World Champion in Tasmania 1990 in the single sculls event. 14 years later, at age 3 ...

, but there are also other well-known rowers in Estonia. Between 2004 and 2009, Estonia scored at least one medal in major international competition in every year: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,

, and 2009. After six years Estonia won bronze medal in 2015.

Tõnu Endrekson Tõnu Endrekson (born 11 June 1979) is an Estonian rower. He is a five time Olympic finalist and dual Olympic medal winner. He was fourth in the double sculls event with Leonid Gulov at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and won a silver medal in ...

, Andrei Jämsä,

Allar Raja Allar Raja (born 22 June 1983) is an Estonian rower. He is a member of rowing club "SK Kalev" located in Pärnu. Rowing career 2000–2008 Raja competed in the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2000 in the quadruple sculls event (19th) and ...

and

Kaspar Taimsoo Kaspar Taimsoo (born 30 April 1987) is an Estonian rower. He is a four time Olympian and four time European champion. He is a member of Viljandi Rowing Club ( et, Viljandi Sõudeklubi). Rowing career 2004–2008 Taimsoo made his first internati ...

have also won an Olympic medal.

Sailing

Twin brothers Tõnu Tõniste and Toomas Tõniste competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1988. They won a silver and a bronze medal in the Men's 470 Class, for the Soviet Union (silver, 1988) and for Estonia (bronze, 1992).

Skiing

Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

is very popular in Estonia.

Otepää Otepää (formerly Nuustaku) is a town in Valga County, southern Estonia, it is the administrative centre of Otepää Parish. Otepää is a popular skiing resort, popularly known as the "winter capital" of Estonia (in contrast to the "summer c ...

is a popular skiing resort. Otepää is also known as the "winter capital" of Estonia (in contrast to the "summer capital"

). It is also the annual Cross-country skiing World Cup event. The

2011 Nordic Junior World Ski Championships The 2011 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships were held in Otepää, Estonia from 26 January to 31 January 2011. It was the 34th FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships, Junior World Championships and the 6th Under-23 World Championships in ...

was held in Otepää also. In 2000,

Raul Olle Raul Olle (born 23 January 1968 in Tartu) is an Estonian cross-country skier. He represented Estonia at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano and at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. In 2000 he also won the Vasaloppet ( Swedish for 't ...

won

Vasaloppet ( Swedish for 'the Vasa-race') is an annual long distance cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of Berga, just south of Sälen in western Dalarna, Sweden, and ends in the town of Mora in t ...

, which is amongst the oldest, longest, and biggest cross-country ski races in the world. In 1999 Estonian skiing found success at international level, winning medals at

. Estonia has won 4 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal at the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

. * Olympic medals: 2002, 2006, and 2010. *

medals:

, 2001, 2003, and 2009. Andrus Veerpalu,

Kristina Šmigun-Vähi Kristina Šmigun-Vähi (born 23 February 1977) is a former Estonian female cross-country skier and politician. She is the most successful Estonian female cross-country skier with two Olympic gold medals. In 2019 she was elected as a Member of th ...

and Jaak Mae are some of the most popular athletes in Estonia.

Speed skating

* Ants Antson (competing for the Soviet Union) won a gold medal at the

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

in Innsbruck, Austria for the 1500m. The same year he became the European Allround Champion and received the Oscar Mathisen Award.

Swimming

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

is a popular sport among Estonians. Estonian athletes have found some success at the

European Short Course Swimming Championships The European Short Course Swimming Championships (variously referred to informally as the "Short Course Europeans" or "European 25m Championships") are a swimming meet, organized by LEN. The meet features swimmers from Europe, competing in events ...

–

Indrek Sei Indrek Sei (born 26 July 1972 in Tallinn) is a former Freestyle swimming, freestyle swimmer from Estonia. He competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for his native country, starting in Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics, 1992. Sei won t ...

, Jane Trepp,

Triin Aljand Triin Aljand (born 8 July 1985) is a retired Estonian swimmer who won a silver medal at the 2012 European Aquatics Championships in 50 m butterfly. She competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle and 100 b ...

and Martti Aljand have won medals in the past years. *

won first long course swimming medal for Estonia in Debrecen 2012.

Tennis

Kaia Kanepi Kaia Kanepi (; born 10 June 1985) is an Estonian professional tennis player. She achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 15 on 20 August 2012 and has won four singles titles on the WTA Tour. Described as a 'resident Grand Slam upset speci ...

is an Estonian professional female

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player. Her career-high ranking was set at World No. 16 on 7 February 2011. Kanepi won her first WTA Tour Title in Palermo in 2010, becoming the first Estonian female player to win a WTA title. She has also reached six Grand Slam Quarter-finals, becoming the first Estonian to achieve this and was the first Estonian to be ranked in the top twenty. * Jürgen Zopp made a breakthrough on the ATP tour in 2012, qualifying for the main draws of each the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon, and achieving his first main draw ATP tournament win in Bucharest, establishing himself as a top-100 player in the world rankings. *

Anett Kontaveit Anett Kontaveit (; born 24 December 1995) is an Estonian professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 2 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), which she first achieved on 6 June 2022, making her the highest-ranked Eston ...

has won six singles titles on the WTA tour as well as eleven singles and five doubles titles on the ITF tour during her career. In June 2022, she reached her best singles ranking of world number 2, becoming the first Estonian singles player to reach the top 10 and highest-ranked of all time.

Volleyball

* The Estonia men's national volleyball team finished the 2009 European Volleyball Championship in 14th place, the 2011 European Volleyball Championship in 12th place and the 2015 European Volleyball Championship in 11th place.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...

was one of the most successful field of sport for Estonia in the past. Alfred Neuland competed in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics and won a gold and a silver medal, respectively, becoming the first Olympic gold medalist from Estonia. Alfred Schmidt was a featherweight weightlifter who won a silver medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics.

Arnold Luhaäär Arnold Luhaäär (20 October 1905 – 19 January 1965) was an Estonian heavyweight weightlifter. He competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and 1936 Summer Olympics and won a silver and a bronze medal, respectively. He missed the 1932 games because ...

competed in the 1928 and 1936 Olympics and won a silver and a bronze medal, respectively.

Jaan Talts Jaan Talts (born 19 May 1944) is a former Estonian weightlifter. He competed for the Soviet Union at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won a silver and a gold medal, respectively. Throughout his career, Talts won two world and four European titles ...

won a silver medal in weightlifting for the

at the 1968 Olympic games and a gold medal at the 1972 Olympic games. * Other notable weightlifters in Estonia:

Jaan Kikkas Juhan "Jaan" Kikkas (5 June 1892 – 9 March 1944) was an Estonian middleweight weightlifter. He won a bronze medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VI ...

, Harald Tammer and Mart Seim.

Wrestling

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

was the most successful and also very popular Olympic event for Estonia between 1920 and 1936. In 2006,

Heiki Nabi Heiki Nabi (born 6 June 1985) is an Estonian Olympic champion Greco-Roman wrestler. Nabi was born in Hilleste, Hiiumaa. At the 2006 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the men's Greco-Roman (96 kg) category and became ...

became the first amateur wrestling World Champion for Estonia. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Nabi won the silver medal in the Men's Greco-Roman 120 kg. Nabi continued his great career winning second gold medal at 2013 World Championships and bronze medal at 2014 World Championships. * Notable wrestlers in Estonia: Aleksander Aberg,

Georg Hackenschmidt Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt ( – 19 February 1968) was an early 20th-century Estonian strongman, professional wrestler, author, and sports philosopher who is recognized as professional wrestling's first world heavyweight champion. Hack ...

Georg Lurich Georg Lurich ( – 20 January 1920) was an Estonian Greco-Roman wrestler and strongman of the early 20th century. Lurich was also the trainer of Estonian wrestlers and weightlifters Georg Hackenschmidt and Aleksander Aberg. Early life Born Geo ...

, Osvald Käpp, Martin Klein, Anton Koolmann, Johannes Kotkas, Jaan Jaago, Albert Kusnets,

August Neo August "Ago" Neo (12 February 1908 – 19 August 1982) was an Estonian wrestler who won two medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics: a silver medal in the freestyle wrestling and a bronze in Greco-Roman wrestling. His achievements were underscored b ...

Eduard Pütsep Eduard Pütsep (21 October 1898 – 22 August 1960) was an Estonian wrestler. He competed in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 1920, 1924 and 1928 Olympics and won a gold medal in the bantamweight division in 1924, becoming the first Olympic champion ...

, Voldemar Väli and female wrestler Epp Mäe. *

Kristjan Palusalu Kristjan Palusalu (until 1935 Kristjan Trossmann, – 17 July 1987) was an Estonian heavyweight wrestler and Olympic winner. Palusalu became the first and only wrestler in Olympic history ever to win both the Greco-Roman and freestyle heavy wei ...

is one of the most well-known athletes in Estonia even though he competed 80 years ago in the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Other sports

Sumo wrestling is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

hasn't been popular in Estonia, but

Baruto Kaido Höövelson, (known professionally as Baruto Kaito ; born 5 November 1984) is an Estonian politician and former professional sumo wrestler. Making his debut in May 2004, he reached the top division after just two years in sumo in May 2 ...

found real success in this sport. *

Margus Hunt Margus Hunt (born July 14, 1987) is an Estonian professional American football defensive end who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at SMU. He also ...

is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

, playing in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was junior world champion in shot put and discus throw, having never played football before starting university in the US. * Andrus Murumets is an Estonian strongman. He won

Strongman Champions League The Strongman Champions League is a strongman competition circuit, with several Grand Prix events throughout the year and the Strongman Champions League overall champion title going to the overall winner at the end of the season. The competit ...

in 2009. * Kiiking, a relatively new sport, was invented in 1996 by Ado Kosk in Estonia. Kiiking involves a modified swing in which the rider of the swing tries to go around 360 degrees. * Estonia has also won many medals in

ice yachting An iceboat (occasionally spelled ice boat or traditionally called an ice yacht) is a recreational or competition sailing craft supported on metal runners for traveling over ice. One of the runners is steerable. Originally, such craft were boats ...

competitions. * Estonian sportsmen have also won several medals at

inshore powerboat racing Inshore powerboat racing is a form of water-based motorsport using powerboats in sheltered or inland stretches of water, including lakes, rivers, docks and sheltered bays. It is often referred to as circuit powerboat racing because of the freque ...

championships. *Robin Kool, also known as

Ropz Robin Kool (born 22 December 1999), better known as ropz, is an Estonian professional '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' player for FaZe Clan. Kool has played in six Majors and won the PGL Major Antwerp 2022. Early and personal life Koo ...

, is a professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, joining

Mousesports Mouz (stylized as MOUZ), formerly mousesports, is a professional esports organisation based in Germany. It fields teams in several games but is particularly known for its '' CS:GO'' team. MOUZ was one of the founding members of the G7 Teams. ...

at the age of 17.

International championships hosted by Estonia

Gallery

Gallery of famous Estonian sportspeople

References

External links

Homepage of Estonian Olympic Committee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sport In Estonia *Estonia