Tragic death puts an end to the World Sauna Championships
The World Sauna Championships are held every year in Finland. Finland is a sauna-obsessed nation and taking steam baths in a wooden cabin is not unusual for the Finns. During the competition, the contestants have to endure 110-degree temperatures for as long as they can. This year’s contest was struck by tragedy when one of the finalists died. The shocking news of a man boiling in sauna took the nation by surprise, marking it the end of the competition. Despite the Finish consider the activity as “fun,” it is quite strange to endure higher temperatures for the sake of winning a competition. What would make someone go through all the trouble of bearing the heat? Is it the reward that’s so compelling or is it simply the sense of achievement? Let’s have a peek at the history of this wacky sport, before its traces are completely wiped off.
The tragic incident of one of the finalists boiling to death took place at the 2010 final of the World Sauna Championships that takes place annually in Heinola, Finland. After the sad incident, the event won’t be held again, according to the spokesperson for the competition, Ossi Arvela. The two finalists, Russian Vladimir Ladyzhensky and his Finnish rival, Timo Kaukonen were competing for the title. While steaming his body, Ladyzhensky unfortunately lost his life. Both contestants suffered severe burns, and were rushed to hospital but Ladyzhensky could not survive the burns. However, Kaukonen was given immediate treatment and is in a stable condition now. Both men refused to exit the chamber, when asked by the management. One of the strangest sports in the world, the winner of the sauna competition is given small items of almost no value, on winning the title. “Putting your life at risk of boiling for almost nothing is a mere wish of getting acknowledged for your stupidity,” says one of the critics.
However, Finnish are a sauna-phile nation; for 5 million people there are 1.5 million saunas. One reason for the Finns having large number of saunas is the weather there. But there is no rationale behind the crazy sauna competition. The first “steaming” competition took place in 1999 and the idea was simple, bring a bunch of loopy people together and put them in a sauna and see who can last the longest. The sauna temperature that starts out at 110 degrees is increased every thirty seconds by putting water on the stove. In 2008, the winning time was 18 minutes and 15 seconds, set by Finnish Bjarne Hermansson.
The World Sauna Championship has been a huge event in Finland since its inception. The festival welcomed nearly 500 spectators to watch the event. The 2010 competition drew160 competitors from 25 countries, who tried to last the longest in the unbelievably hot ovens. Contestants ended up having the tops of their mouths burned-off, when they breathed through their noses and scorched ears. Blisters, burns and bleeding body parts are a characteristic of the sport. Sometimes the condition gets so severe that it requires immediate medical treatment. The sport defies logic; people voluntarily burn themselves to win nothing but pride. This goes to show that human nature is insanely competitive, as man finds hard to accept defeat. However, the irrationality and absurd behaviour of steaming your body has finally come to an end now.
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