Olavi Svanberg

Olavi Svanberg Armas ( born December 10, 1941 in Sysmä; † August 25, 2002 in Ladoga, Russia) was a Finnish ski - orienteering.

Svanberg, who in 1972 won his first Finnish championship title was already 33 years old, when in 1975 in southern Finland Hyvinkää an official world championship was held in ski orienteering for the first time. Svanberg was able to win the first World Championship title in a single competition in front of his countrymen, Jorma Karvonen and Heimo Taskinen. The three Finnish medalists also brought in the relay with Pekka Pökälä gold before the squadrons from Sweden and Switzerland. From 1980 to 1984 he won three more relay medals in a row ( two silver and one bronze). In the 1982 World Cup in Aigen he also won a second time in the individual event, this time before the Finns Pertti Tikka and the Norwegians Sigurd Dæhli.

The Finnish championship won Svanberg four times 1972-1978. During his career he was a member of the clubs Kiteen Urheilijat, Sysmän Sisu and Joutsan Pommi. From 1998 to Svanberg was supervisor in the Finnish ski - orienteering national team.

Svanberg drowned on August 25, 2002 60 -year-old in Lake Ladoga.