Lahti

In 1923 the first Ski Games of Lahti were hosted and have taken place every year from then on, with some exceptions. The first WSC at Salpaussalkä ski stadium were held in 1926 on a K40 ski jump. This one was situated on the opposite site of today’s spectator stand. For the next World Championships in 1938 the ski jumping hill and stands were enlarged and 100,000 spectators watched Norway’s Asbjörn Ruud winning.

The next conversion took place in 1957 and one year later 67,000 spectators were witnesses of Finland’s Juhani Kärkinen becoming new world champion with a hill record of 74 meters. A new spectator record of 114,082 visitors was registered during the Ski Games of 1964 and two years later the very first team competition was held at Lahti with the GDR winning.

In 1970’s the construction of a completely new ski jumping hill at today’s place started and in 1977 it was inaugurated. One year later Lahti was again hosting the WSC and East-German Matthias Buse won on the normal hill, on the large hill Finland’s Taipo Räisänen gained a surprise victory.

With the introduction of the Ski Jumping World Cup in 1979/80 Lahti has been part of the circuit of the world’s best jumpers from the beginning.

For the World Championships 1989 on the hill K114 and K90 on ten days 450,000 spectators came to Lahti. Then in 2001 the Nordic Ski WSC took place for a sixth time at Lahti on Salpaussalkä ski jumps K116 and K90 and in 2005 the 80th Lahti Ski Games were celebrated. Now HS 130 is annual host of the first competition of Nordic Tournament.