Why doesn't this forum have an Estonia thread?

[alko]

Population is about 1 300 000. That isnt not much. And with the basketball, volleyball and even soccer, it is hard to compete with other sports.

 

[HungryFrank]

this might become an "official" Estonia thread... how is it possible that some players born outside Estonia and without any trace of Estonian origin or playing in Estonia, are eligible to play for Estonia? For example, Fabian Hast and Emil Svartbro?

Even those born in Estonia like Mark Viitanen didn't play there (according to EP) and should spend at least 1.5 years playing there, right?

I'm obviously missing something, question is what exactly

 

[Exarz]

this might become an "official" Estonia thread... how is it possible that some players born outside Estonia and without any trace of Estonian origin or playing in Estonia, are eligible to play for Estonia? For example, Fabian Hast and Emil Svartbro?

Even those born in Estonia like Mark Viitanen didn't play there (according to EP) and should spend at least 1.5 years playing there, right?

I'm obviously missing something, question is what exactly

As long as you don't have dual citizenship it shouldn't be an issue as far as I know. That's the reason Olaf Kölzig was able to represent Germany

 

[Tap on the Ankle]

I was in Tallinn a couple years ago and asked one of my co-workers why hockey wasn't as popular in Estonia as they're surrounding by two elite and one well-known hockey country (Finland, Russia, Latvia). He said that Estonians tend to be more interested in individual sports like weightlifting, track and field, etc. and that many of them view hockey as a "Russian sport" and thus aren't very interested in it.

Apparently they have a really good young skier (Kelly Sildaru) which is a bit weird because I don't think they have any mountains. Only 16 years old she was favourite to win gold at the last Winter Olympics but had to pull out due to injury. I think the only other Estonian athletes I can remember hearing of is some guy in weightlifting competitions and the occasional track and field athlete (I vaguely remember some twin girls that were runners or something many years ago) so that guy's take checks out.

 

[Theokritos]

 

[sr edler]

I was in Tallinn a couple years ago and asked one of my co-workers why hockey wasn't as popular in Estonia as they're surrounding by two elite and one well-known hockey country (Finland, Russia, Latvia). He said that Estonians tend to be more interested in individual sports like weightlifting, track and field, etc. and that many of them view hockey as a "Russian sport" and thus aren't very interested in it.

Apparently they have a really good young skier (Kelly Sildaru) which is a bit weird because I don't think they have any mountains. Only 16 years old she was favourite to win gold at the last Winter Olympics but had to pull out due to injury. I think the only other Estonian athletes I can remember hearing of is some guy in weightlifting competitions and the occasional track and field athlete (I vaguely remember some twin girls that were runners or something many years ago) so that guy's take checks out.

I think the biggest sport popularity wise in Estonia is probably still cross-country skiing? Or at least it's up there. They've had some real big names there, both male and female, such as Andrus Veerpalu and Kristina Smigun, and they also had a guy who won Vasaloppet once, Raul Olle. And from one type of skiing to another type of skiing, perhaps the leap isn't too far? You can always train abroad these days.

But yes, other more individual sports such as track & field and road race cycling are also popular.

But regarding cross-country skiing, I've been told by an Estonian person who is extremely uninterested in sports that when Andrus Veerpalu got caught doping (like a lot of people in skiing and other endurance sports) apparently it was almost like a national trauma or something and he was crying on TV and all that. Much like the Mika Myllylä thing in Finland.

The city where Leo Komarov was born is about 94% Russian, and is right on the Russian border. Someone up thread claimed Komarov can speak Estonian, but I wonder if he can source that claim. Wikipedia says he speaks Swedish, Finnish, Russian and English fluently. For a native Russian speaker moving from Narva at 5 years of age to the Swedish speaking part of Finland, also speaking Estonian seems like a bit of a long shot to me.

It's probably that he (Komarov) can understand it fairly well (Estonian language) and speak it to some degree, but that he's not fluent in it.

It reminds me of that claim that Zdeno Chara can speak 7 languages of which one is Swedish. Though when they interviewed Chara on Swedish TV during his lockout stint with Färjestad in 2004–05 they interviewed him in English. Curious to me to interview someone to a Swedish audience in English when the guy speaks fluent Swedish, unless it's just a fluff claim and he speaks it very very badly.

 

[Pardus]

 

[tornaado66]

There is a great series of documenteries about hockey in Estonia by Coolbet (with ENG subtitles!). It gives a good insight of what it is like here. They talk about the national team, history and local clubs.
Right now there is 3 episodes done and atleast 3 more is promised.
The 1st episode:

 

[mattihp]

Savenkov might play in the AHL, has Estonia had a player in the main feeder league of the NHL since Toivo Suursoo played in the IHL?

 

[SoundAndFury]

Savenkov might play in the AHL, has Estonia had a player in the main feeder league of the NHL since Toivo Suursoo played in the IHL?

Savenkov reaching the AHL seems borderline impossible, he should be thrilled if he can actually make it in the ECHL. And they haven't but again, they still don't have and Savenkov isn't all that outstanding even for their level.

 

[sdf]

I heard his father is of Ingrian Finnish descent, so he's not exactly fully Russian.

I dont mind