3. Competitions

Regular competitive activity began at HERO in 1906, when the first summer sports competitions were held. The summer sport was an hexathlon, consisting of a 100-metre sprint, shot-putting, triple jumping, long jumping, and discus and javelin throwing. In the winter, the race included cross-country skiing on natural ice, which had also been done before the club was founded. Competitions between deaf sports clubs were also held later.

The competitions encouraged greater commitment to sports and regular training. Challenge trophies were used as incentives to promote the hobby. These trophies included two magnificent works by engraver Fridolf Schoultz and a painting painted by Sävele Angervo for the skiing relay.

From 1907, HERO participated in the organisation of Nordic competitions. In 1909, the club had the honour of organising the Nordic Games in Helsinki for the first time. Finnish athletes did very well already in these competitions. When the Nordic Athletic Association of the Deaf was founded in 1912, HERO immediately became a member. The competition played an important role in the development of the deaf sports culture.

During the First World War, only domestic competitions could be held. Again in 1921, the members of HERO took part in the Nordic competition in Helsinki, bringing fame to the club. The competition was organised by the newly founded Finnish Athletic Association of the Deaf. The two-day competition was held at the Eläintarha Stadium. Since then, competitions have been held every few years in various Nordic countries.

Wider international sports activities began in 1924 in Paris. At that time, the French Deaf Sports Federation organised the Deaflympics after the actual Olympic Games. The Olympics movement also inspired the deaf. The competition provided a way to enrich the sports culture of the deaf and bring together deaf people from different countries.

As early as the 1930s, it was noticed that international competitions attracted more interest than Nordic ones. The international sports committee for the deaf CISS (Comité International des Sports des Sourds) was established in 1926. The Nordic countries joined the committee in 1929. The committee held Summer Deaflympics every four years. The first Winter Deaflympics were held in 1949. Since 1955, summer and winter games have alternated every two years. CISS received its own flag in 1939, and in 2006, the organisation was renamed the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, ICSD. The European Deaf Sports Organisation (EDSO) was founded in 1983, and European championships have been held since 1987. HERO athletes have also been contending for medals, with successful results.

IX Summer Deaflympics, Helsinki 1961

In 1961, the Finnish Athletic Association of the Deaf was granted the right to organise the IX Deaflympics, and Helsinki became the venue for the event. The Ministry of Education supported the competitions financially and the City of Helsinki provided the competition venues. The student village of the Otaniemi campus provided accommodation for the athletes and the Finnish Gymnastics and Sports Federation (SVUL) provided clerical assistance.

Organising the Deaflympics was a great challenge for the Finnish Athletic Association of the Deaf. The organising committee included Urho Lehtimäki, Runo Savisaari, Oiva Virtanen, Timo Suviranta, Jussi Luomajoki, Osmo Entelä, Carl-Eric Martola, Kauko Mäkelä and Jarmo Narmala. The official patron of the Deaflympics was President Urho Kekkonen. The Deaflympics logo and the medals awarded were designed by artist Osmo Entelä.

The opening of the Deaflympics was held at the Olympic Stadium on August 6, 1961. The opening ceremony programme included the march of athletes from different countries, a welcome speech, the raising of the CISS flag and the official opening of the competition, as well as the Athletes' Oath. The female gymnasts released 700 colourful balloons, which symbolised the athletes participating in the competition. The ceremony ended with a gymnastics performance by 12 deaf female gymnasts from Helsinki and 12 deaf female gymnasts from Turku. The performance was choreographed by Terttu Laukkanen (later Martola), a background figure in women's gymnastics. The female gymnasts from Turku had rehearsed under the guidance of Sirpa Kostiainen.

47 athletes from Finland took part in the competition, and they won medals in athletics, gymnastics, wrestling, basketball and shooting. In total, Finnish athletes won two gold medals, eight silver medals and three bronze medals. HERO female athletes won gold in the women’s freestyle gymnastics team competition. The silver-winning basketball team also included HERO members. Sulo Ikola from Helsinki competed in the bronze-winning shooting team.