Der Weg des finnischen Teams zu den IV. Olympischen Winterspielen 1936

The journey for the Finnish Olympic team for Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 started from Helsinki on 28.1.1936. There were around 30 members in the team. The team took a train to Turku where they boarded a ship called S/S Heimdall to Stockholm. During the sea journey they were stuck on ice and fog for several hours. They stayed one day in Stockholm and visited for example the ski museum. From Stockholm they took a train to Trelleborg and from there a ship to Sassnitz. The mayor of Sassnitz was there to greet the Finnish team and the city showed a lot of hospitality (beer and sausages) to the team.
Out of Sassnitz they travelled to Berlin where you could already see signs of the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, construction and commercials. In Berlin they were hosted by the Finnish ambassador to Germany. They also visited the Berlin Olympic stadium and Berlin Zoo.
In Berlin the team was split to two. Speed skaters travelled to Italy for a skating competition and gross country skiers, ski jumpers, figure skaters, judges, management and military patrol travelled to GaPa through München. On 31.1.1936 on arriving at Garmisch-Partenkirchen the team settled in two gasthauses, Haus Viktoria and Haus Kriner. There was also a Finnish representation in the Sternflug, the invitational Olympic flying competition. The Finnish team (Väinö Bremer and Sven Palmberg) were flying an open cockpit plane, Junker Junior A50 in the freezing winter conditions from Finland to München. The last leg from München to Garmisch-Partenkirchen was cancelled due to weather conditions. The planes were supposed to do a flyover during the opening ceremony.

Team Finland won 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. The Finnish military patrol also won silver in the prospect event.

Team Finland travelled back to Finland after attending the closing party on 17.2.1936 in the Münchens Deutsche Theater. They arrived in Helsinki on 21.2.1936 and were hosted for festivities by the Finnish Olympic Committee.

(report by Pekka Lähde, 06.12.2025 per E-Mail zugesendet // Pekka Lähde, Lappeenranta, Finland, grandson Matti Lähde won an Olympic gold medal in skiing 4x10 km back in 1936)