Töölö Sports Hall
Encyclopedia
Töölö
Töölö is the collective name for the neighbourhoods Etu-Töölö and Taka-Töölö in Helsinki, Finland. The neighbourhoods are located next to the city centre, occupying the western side of the Helsinki Peninsula....
district of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It was built in 1935 as Messuhalli (Exhibition Hall). It is located near the Olympic Stadium
Helsinki Olympic Stadium
The Helsinki Olympic Stadium , located in the Töölö district about from the center of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used for hosting sports events and big concerts. The stadium is best known for being the center of activities in the 1952...
, the Opera House
Finnish National Opera
The Finnish National Opera in Helsinki is the leading opera company in Finland. Its home base is the Opera House on Töölönlahti bay in Töölö which opened in 1993, and is state-owned through Senate Properties...
, and the Finnair Stadium
Finnair Stadium
Sonera Stadium is a football stadium in Helsinki, Finland.The stadium was inaugurated in 2000. It has a capacity of 10,770 spectators...
.
The hall was originally a venue for concerts, banquets and sporting events, but is now used only for training and competition in various sports.
In preparation for the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
the building was expanded on the northern side.
During the Olympics gymnastics
Gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics was represented by 15 events: 7 for women and 8 for men. All events were held between July 19 and July 24 in the Messuhalli building in Helsinki...
, wrestling
Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics
At the 1952 Summer Olympics, 16 wrestling events were contested, for all men. There were eight weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and eight classes in freestyle wrestling...
, boxing
Boxing at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Final results for the Boxing competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics. The events were held at Messuhalli.-Medal table:- Flyweight :- Bantamweight :- Featherweight :- Lightweight :...
and weightlifting
Weightlifting at the 1952 Summer Olympics
The weightlifting competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki consisted of seven weight classes, all for men only. The middle-heavyweight division was a newly created weight class, moving the heavyweight class up from 82.5 kg to 90 kg. The events were held at Messuhalli.-Medal...
events as well as the basketball
Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics was the third appearance of the sport. 23 nations entered the competition.The top six teams at the 1948 Summer Olympics qualified automatically, as did the 1950 World Champion , the top two at the 1951 European championships , and the host country...
finals were held at the venue.
In 1975 the hall was moved to Helsinki city ownership and got its current name. It is the home arena of the basketball team Torpan Pojat
Torpan Pojat
Torpan Pojat is a basketball club, based in Helsinki, Finland. It was formed in 1932, originally as a sport club for the school of Munkkiniemi. With approximately 500 members, it includes men's, women's, and junior teams...
.