Posted on 08/07/2010 1:58:50 PM PDT by Gamecock
The annual World Sauna Championships in Finland has ended in tragedy with the death of one of the finalists, the organisers said.
Russian finalist Vladimir Ladyzhensky and Finnish rival Timo Kaukonen were both taken to hospital after collapsing and Mr Ladyzhensky later died.
Its chief organiser, Ossi Arvela, said all the rules of the event had been followed.
He said in a statement that the organisers were grief stricken at the events.
The event, which has been running since 1999, requires participants to withstand 110C for as long as possible.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Really.
I just happened to see a portion of their World Championships last year.
100C = 212F.
Too much self-control can be lethal.
Fahrenheit 110
Centigrade(Celsius)43.333333
ESPN on sauna championships and people literally burning:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5198604
Tougher to get than the Nobel.
RIP.
Was the poor fellow warming up for his next destination?
Who knew?
He died doing what he loved...
100 C (212 F) is the boiling temp. for water
Just as much of a sport as World Soccer Championships (World Cup) is/are.
I wonder if vuvuzelas are allowed in the sauna?
GO FINLAND!
Sitting in a sauna is a sport? I am not a sports fan.
I just returned from my second trip to Finland. The Finns are rugged individualists and very much to my liking — I would liken them to Alaskans in the USA. Finns seem to get through the long winter by entertaining themselves in some offbeat ways — there is a wife-carrying race, and a world air guitar championship, for example. Sauna is something of a social event, and the usual routine is this: Men and women go separately, and usually do not wear bathing suits or towels. Most people go to sauna in the altogether. Nobody cares about body image, because everyone does this. The hottest temps I have heard about from ordinary Finns is about 120 degrees Celsius. You have to work up to that, so if they know there is a newbie among them, they generally go easy on the temperature and the pouring of water on the hot rocks. Sometimes, they add essential oils to the water, which give off a pleasant smell. Sometimes, they beat each other with leafy birch branches, which also give off a nice smell. After about 10 minutes of sweating, everyone wraps in a towel and gets out. If there is a secluded outdoor area and the weather is nice, they sit outside. At this point, everyone drinks a cold beer or cider before heading back into the sauna for another 5 to 10 minutes, followed by a cool shower, which leaves you feeling fresh as a daisy. I found that, once I got used to being naked among friends, I rather enjoyed the ritual. Finnish houses are often designed with a large sauna room which contains not only the sauna, but often multiple shower heads. As I said, it’s a social event.
This is sick. What is next, competitive praying? A sauna (correctly pronounced in the Finnish fashion: sow-na) is a cleansing of the body and soul, not a competitive sport! It soothes aches and pains both physical and spiritual. Besides, without an ice cold lager, what’s the point?
They should check out the lawsuit for the Arizona sweat lodge:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/10/30/20091030sweatlodgesuit1030-ON.html
James Ray International http://jamesray.com/
Next time you go would you PLEASE invite me :)
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