Toivo Aro Explained

Toivo Aro
Birth Name:Toivo Nestori Ahlstedt
Full Name:Toivo Nestori Aro
National Team:Finland
Birth Date:1887 2, df=yes
Birth Place:Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Death Place:Helsinki, Finland
Resting Place:Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki[1]
Education:Master of Philosophy
Occupation:bank manager, chief executive officer
Spouse:Katri Lille
Sport:Aquatics
Nationals:10 Finnish championships in aquatics

Toivo Nestori Aro (born Toivo Nestori Ahlstedt, 9 February 1887 – 8 October 1962) was a Finnish sports leader and an aquatics athlete who won 10 Finnish championships.

Sports

Olympic participation

Toivo Aro at the Olympic Games
GamesEventStageRankNotes
1908 Summer Olympics10 metre platformRound one2nd in heatAdvanced to semi-final.[2]
Semi-final3rd in heatDid not advance to final.[3] According to the official histories of the Finnish Swimming Federation, Aro did qualify for the final, but due to confusion and a language barrier he sat it out as a spectator. The books offer as evidence a diploma presented exclusively to the finalists.[4] [5] Aro himself disputed this in an article he wrote, having no feelings of injustice and naming three other non-finalists who received the diploma.[6]
1912 Summer Olympics10 metre platformRound one3rd in heatAdvanced to final
Final8th
Plain high divingRound one2nd in heatAdvanced to final
Final5th

Aro was the Chef de Mission of Finland at the 1928 Winter Olympics. He was the leader of Finland's swimming team at the 1924 and 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1924, he was also a diving judge.

National athlete

Aro won ten Finnish national championship golds in aquatics:

He was a member of eight clubs, all Helsinki-based:

Sportsleader

Aro was a board member of the International Ski Federation in 1926–1930.

He was the chairman of the Finnish Ski Association in 1916–1926.[10]

He was a board member of Finnish Olympic Committee in 1919–1946 and its treasurer in 1929–1957.

He was the chairman of the Finnish Swimming Federation in 1928–1946 and its honorary chairman.[11]

He was the progenitor of the Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall, the first public indoor swimming hall in Finland.[12]

He was the founding member of Suomen Latu, a national non-profit organisation for promoting outdoor recreation and physical activities, and its inaugural chairman in 1938.[13]

He was active in many other notable Finnish sports organizations in the 1920s and 1930s.[14]

Other

Aro was born and died in Helsinki. His parents were Henrik Gustav Aro Ahlstedt and Mariaana Karoliina Forsell.[15] They Finnicized their family name from Ahlstedt to Aro on 12 May 1906.[16]

He married dentist Katri Lille (1890–) in 1916. They had six children:[17]

  1. Toivo Ilmari (1917–), who acted in various positions in sport in Finland
  2. Uhmo Antamo (1919–)
  3. Kauko Kalervo (1920–1932)
  4. Sorri Uskali (1922–)
  5. Heljä Iloisa Katri (1926–), who married Yrjö Heikki Soininvaara (born Sirén) (1924–) in 1948.[18] Osmo Soininvaara is their son.[19]
  6. Marja Terttu Tellervo (1928–)

He was the chief executive officer of the bank Helsingin Suomalainen Säästöpankki in 1925–1957.[20]

He was the editor-in-chief of Urheilulehti in 1917–1918. He wrote some works, such as a fifty-year history of Helsingin Suomalainen Säästöpankki, banking-related manuals, sport and temperance movement histories.

He was awarded the Knight of the White Rose of Finland. His wife received the Commemorative medal of the Winter War.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Aro Toivo Nestori . Hautahaku.fi . fi . 21 February 2023.
  2. Book: The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary . Mallon . Bill . Buchanan . Ian . McFarland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States . 2001 . 144 . 978-0-7864-0598-5 .
  3. Book: The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary . Mallon . Bill . Buchanan . Ian . McFarland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States . 2001 . 143 . 978-0-7864-0598-5 .
  4. Book: 1956 . Teräsvirta . Paavo . Suomen uimaliitto. Finska simförbundet. 1906–1956 . fi . Helsinki . Suomen uimaliitto . 28.
  5. Book: Mustonen . Pertti . 2006 . Sata altaassa. Suomen uimaliitto 1906–2006 . fi . Helsinki . Edita . 41 . 951-37-4490-6.
  6. Book: Aro . Toivo . 1924 . Uintikilpailuista Olympialaisissa kisoissa . Pihkala . Lauri . Jukola . Martti . Olympialaiskisat ennen ja Pariisissa 1924 . fi . I . Porvoo . Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö . 333–334.
  7. Book: Mikkola . Rolf . 2022 . Bra kunder. Helsingfors simsällskap. Vattenpolo. Vesipallo. 1887–2021 . fi . Helsingfors . Helsingfors Simsällskaps Garantiförening rf . 14 . 9789529457892.
  8. Book: Henriksson . John . etal . 1947 . Helsingfors simsällskap — minnesskrift vid 60-årsjubiléet 1947 . sv . Helsingfors . Helsingfors simsällskap . 186–187.
  9. Book: Henriksson . John . etal . 1947 . Helsingfors simsällskap — minnesskrift vid 60-årsjubiléet 1947 . sv . Helsingfors . Helsingfors simsällskap . 156.
  10. Book: Virtapohja . Kalle . 2022 . SVUL:n vuosisata. Suomen suurin ja vaikutusvaltaisin urheilujärjestö . The Century of SVUL . Suomen Urheilumuseosäätiön tutkimuksia . fi . 4 . Helsinki . Urheilun ja liikunnan kulttuurikeskus TAHTO, SVUL . 464 . 9789526644219 . 2243-1489.
  11. Book: Siukonen . Markku . 2001 . Urheilukunniamme puolustajat. Suomen olympiaedustajat 1906–2000 . Suuri olympiateos . fi . Jyväskylä . Graface . 17–18 . 951-98673-1-7.
  12. Book: Hakala . Sampsa . 2019 . Uimahallit Suomessa . fi . Riihimäki . Uimahalli- ja kylpylätekninen yhdistys ry . 13–14 . 9789529418749.
  13. Book: Valleala . Raine . 1987 . Ulkoilu elämäntavaksi . fi . Helsinki . Suomen latu . 35 . 9519991425 . 50 vuotta Suomen Ladun toimintaa.
  14. Book: 2003 . Arponen . Antti O. . etal . Klinge . Matti . Mäkelä-Alitalo . Anneli . etal . Suomen kansallisbiografia . Studia biographica . fi . 1: Aaku–Browallius . Helsinki . Finnish Literature Society . 387–388 . 951-746-442-8 . 1456-2138.
  15. Book: 1954 . Havu . I. . Poijärvi . L. Arvi P. . Parikka . Eino . Kuka kukin on (Aikalaiskirja) 1954. Henkilötietoja nykypolven suomalaisista . fi . Helsinki . Otava . 48 . 15 August 2018.
  16. News: 12 May 1906 . Nimenmuuttoja. Namnförändringar . Lisälehti Suomalaisen Virallisen Lehden N:oon 109. Bihang till Finlands Allmänna Tidning N:o 109 . fi, sv . Helsinki . Senaatin Kansliatoimituskunta . 1 . 1457-4675 . Digital Collections of National Library of Finland . 11 August 2018.
  17. Book: Ingraeus . Aili . Mustajoki . Helvi . Salmelin . Nils W. . 1960 . Suomen hammaslääkärit. 1960. Finlands tandläkare. 1960 . fi, sv . Helsinki . Akateeminen kustannusliike . 22.
  18. Book: 1982 . Huovinen . Pentti . etal . Kuka kukin on (Aikalaiskirja) 1982. Henkilötietoja nykypolven suomalaisista . Who's who in Finland 1982 . fi . Helsinki . Otava . 940 . 951-1-06659-5.
  19. Book: 2011 . Pajala . Lasse . Lagerbohm . John . Strengell-Silainen . Ulla . Kuka kukin on. Henkilötietoja nykypolven suomalaisista 2011 . Who's who in Finland 2011 . fi . Helsinki . Otava . 952 . 978-951-1-24712-8 . 1237-7570.
  20. Web site: Aro (Ahlstedt), Toivo (1887–1962) . Kallinen . Ville . 20 December 2017 . Urheiluvaikuttajat . The Finnish Society for Sport History . Helsinki . fi . 18 August 2018.

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