EstoniaEstonia

The capital and the biggest cities

GeographyLocated in the north-eastern part of Europe. Washed by the waters of the north Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, borders with Latvia to the south and Russia to the east. With Latvia Estonia has land border, the border with Russia runs along the Narva river, on the Peipus and Lake Pskov and by land area with the Pskov region. Population as of January 1, 2013 – 1286540.

Political system

Government - Parliamentary democracy

The President - Toomas Hendrik IlvesPrime Minister - Andrus AnsipChairman - Ene Ergma

The Olympic Games

Erki Nool Erki Nool (born 25 June 1970 in Voru, Estonia) is an Estonian decathlete and politician.

Nool is a winner of the gold medal for decathlon in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Although Nool did not place first in any individual event, his total score was the highest. Nool won the title after the competition referee decided to over-rule a discus judge, who had red-flagged his last and only valid attempt due to alleged step-out. The reinstatement of his 43.66-metre third throw sparked unsuccessful counter-protests from other teams. Nool took gold ahead of the Czech Roman Sebrle and American Chris Huffins.

On September 1997 he established the first private athletics school in Estonia.[1]

Since 2005, Erki Nool has been the Vice Chairman of the EOC Athletes Commission and since 2007, member of the European Athletics Development Committee.

In 2006, Nool participated as a celebrity contestant on the first season of Tantsud tahtedega, an Estonian version of Dancing with the Stars. His professional dancing parner was Ave Vardja.

Nool was elected to the Estonian Parliament, Riigikogu, on 4 March 2007, representing the Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica.[2]

Since 2008, he is also member of the Executive Committee of the Estonian Olympic Committee.

Osvald Kapp

Osvald Kapp (February 17, 1905 Tallinn – December

22, 1995 New York) was an Estonian wrestler who won

a gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics.

Andrus VeerpaluAndrus Veerpalu (born 8 February 1971 in Parnu) is a former

and so far the most successful Estonian male cross country

skier.On 17 February 2006 Veerpalu won his second Winter

Olympics gold medal (in 15 km cross country skiing; his

previous gold medal is from the Salt Lake City games),

becoming the fourth Estonian to have won two Olympic gold

medals (Kristjan Palusalu, Erika Salumae and Kristina Smigun-

Vahi are the first three). He is the most successful Olympic

athlete from Estonia with three medals. (Kristina Smigun-Vahi

tied that record at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics)

Veerpalu has also found success at the FIS Nordic World Ski

Championships, winning a gold at 15 km in 2009 at Liberec,

30 km in 2001 at Lahti and a silver at 50 km in 1999 at

Ramsau. He has also won the 50 km event at the

Holmenkollen ski festival in 2003 and 2005. Veerpalu also

competed in the men's 50 km, Mass Start Classic at the 2010

Winter Olympics, finishing at the 6th place.

that have been deemed invalid by the ruling."[12]

He is married to Angela Veerpalu and they have five children:

Andreas (b. 1994), Anette, Anders, Anlourdees and Andorres.

Erika Salumae Erika Salumae (born 11 June 1962 in Parnu) is an Estonian track bicycle racer who won the first Olympic gold medal for Estonia after the country regained its independence in 1991.She was born in Parnu. She trained at VSS Kalev in Tallinn. Salumae won gold medal in track cycling in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, competing for the USSR team and in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, competing for Estonia. From 1981 to 1989, she won 10 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals in the World Championships. From 1982 to 1989, she set 15 world records and was elected the Best Estonian Athlete in 1983, 1984, 1987–1990, 1992, 1995, and 1996.In 2008, Salumae participated as a celebrity contestant on the third season of Tantsud tahtedega, an Estonian version of Dancing with the Stars. Her professional dancing parner was Kristjan Kuusk.

Kristina SmigunKristina Smigun-Vahi (born 23 February 1977 in Tartu) is a former and so far most successful Estonian female cross-country skier. Her parents, Anatoli Smigun and Rutt Rehemaa were both prominent Nordic skiers. Kristina Smigun-Vahi was coached by her father.On 12 February 2006, she won the Winter Olympics gold medal for the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit, becoming the first Estonian woman to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Four days later, she won a second gold medal in the 10 km classical.On 15 February 2010, she won her third Olympic medal, a silver in the 10 km freestyle race. With two golds and one silver, Kristina Smigun-Vahi is the most successful Estonian athlete in Olympic history (summer or winter), tying the record of men's cross-country skier Andrus Veerpalu.Smigun-Vahi has also found success at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, earning six medals. This included one gold (2003: 5 km + 5 km double pursuit), three silvers (1999: 15 km, 2003: 10 km, 15 km), and two bronzes (1999, 2003: both in 30 km).On 2 July 2010, Smigun-Vahi announced that she will quit her professional sport career to focus on her family and her daughter Victoria-Kris.

Gerd Kanter Gerd Kanter (born May 6, 1979 in Tallinn, Estonia) is an Estonian discus thrower. He was the 2007 World Champion in the event and won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and bronze in London 2012. His personal best throw of 73.38 m is the Estonian record and the third best mark of all-time.

He made his first Olympic appearance in 2004 and established himself a year later by taking the silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. He was runner-up at the 2006 European Athletics Championships and won further medals at the World Championships in 2009 (bronze) and 2011 (silver).He competed at the 2004 Olympics, but did not reach the final. The season 2005 was his breakthrough year as he won silver medals at the World Championships and World Athletics Final, took home a victory in the European Cup and won the World University Games. He also threw more than 70 metres for the first time.

On September 4, 2006, in Helsingborg, Sweden, Kanter threw more than 70 metres in four different rounds (69.46 – 72.30 – 70.43 – 73.38 – 70.51 – 65.88). The best mark of 73.38 m was an Estonian record and the third best in history – only Jurgen Schult (74.08 m, 1986) and Virgilijus Alekna (73.88 m, 2000) have thrown further.[1]

Kanter was the silver medalist at the 2006 European Athletics Championships, finishing behind Virgilijus Alekna, and became the world champion in the discus at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in Osaka. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he took Olympicgold medal with a throw of 68.82 meters, one meter ahead of second-place finisher Piotr Malachowski of Poland.

In March 2009 he won the European Cup Winter Throwing event in Los Realejos, Tenerife, Spain with 69.70 m. On 22 March 2009, he set a world indoor best of 69.51 m in Vaxjo, Sweden.[2] At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics he returned to defend his world title. He had a best throw of 66.88 m, which was enough for the World bronze medal.[3] He took victory in the Wexio Indoor Throwing competition in 2010, although his winning throw was some way behind his indoor record set the previous year.[4] Still, he started strongly outdoors, having a long early-season throw of 71.45 m in California – the eleventh best throw ever at that point.[5]

He finished just outside of the medals at the 2010 European Athletics Championships, coming fourth, but managed to win the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics behind Robert Harting. He ended that year with a season's best throw of 67.99 m at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial.[6]

Alfred Nueland

Alfred Karl Neuland (10 October 1895 in Valga - 16 November 1966 in Tallinn)

was a weightlifter and Olympic champion from

Valga, Estonia. He won gold medal at the 1920 Summer

Olympics in Antwerp (Lightweight), and obtained a

silver medal at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris

(Middleweight).