Finlandia Foundation Trust News Release

Astoria, Oregon, November 15, 2001:

The untimely death of Jaakko Tuominen at the age of 57 has reverberated on both sides of the Atlantic as family, friends and colleagues remember this well known sports figure from Finland. Jaakko Tuominen was the captain of the Finnish Track and Field Team at both the 1964 and 1968 Olympics. He broke 400 m hurdles and 800 m sprint Finnish national records in 1964. During his outstanding sports career, Jaakko Tuominen was known as a brilliant fighter. For his legendary fighting spirit, "sisu", he was honored by a special award, a Fighter’s Cup (Taistelijan Malja) by President Urho Kekkonen.

Jaakko Tuominen studied in the United States and earned his BA and Masters Degrees on an American college track & field scholarship. After graduation, he returned to Finland and worked there as "Nike's Number One Man" for many years. He moved to the US 10 years ago and continued his relationship with Nike in Beaverton, Oregon, for several more years. After retiring from sports, Jaakko Tuominen and his wife, Kati, bought a Bed & Breakfast establishment in Astoria, OR. It proved to be a great career move as the new proprietors were warmly welcomed and the Inn became widely known for its friendly Finnish inn-keepers. This new career change allowed Jaakko, an avid golfer, to dedicate more of his time to golfing, which had become his favorite sport during the past 15 years.

With permission from Jaakko Tuominen's widow, Kati, Finlandia Foundation Trust has established the JaakkoTuominen Memorial Sports Fund to honor this legendary man with the big heart. Proceeds from this fund will be used to support a wide range of sports related activities, such as scholarships for students studying sports, funding for sports events, such as the Jaakko Tuominen Memorial Annual Golf Tournament, grants for the development of sports equipment, youth/children sports education/training/camps, sports medicine and other athletics, Olympics, sports research, etc.

Individuals and groups are invited to consider contributing to this important new fund when planning their charitable giving or in their estate planning. All donations are fully tax-deductible. No expenses are deducted form the proceeds of this fund. This means that 100% of your donations goes directly to the support of Finnish-American sports programs, activities and students.