Personal information | |
---|---|
Birth name | Toivo Nestori Ahlstedt |
Full name | Toivo Nestori Aro |
National team | Finland |
Born | Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire | 9 February 1887
Died | 8 October 1962 Helsinki, Finland | (aged 75)
Resting place | Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki[1] |
Education | Master of Philosophy |
Occupation(s) | bank manager, chief executive officer |
Spouse | Katri Lille |
Sport | |
Sport | Aquatics |
Events |
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Club |
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Achievements and titles | |
National finals | 10 Finnish championships in aquatics |
Toivo Nestori Aro (born Toivo Nestori Ahlstedt, 9 February 1887 – 8 October 1962) was a Finnish sportsleader and an aquatics athlete, who won 10 Finnish championships.
Games | Event | Stage | Rank | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1908 Summer Olympics | 10 metre platform | Round one | 2nd in heat | Advanced to semi-final.[2] |
Semi-final | 3rd in heat | Did not advance to final.[3] According to the official histories of the Finnish Swimming Federation, Aro did qualify for the final, but due to confusion and a language barrier he sat it out as a spectator. The books offer as evidence a diploma presented exclusively to the finalists.[4][5] Aro himself disputed this in an article he wrote, having no feelings of injustice and naming three other non-finalists who received the diploma.[6] | ||
1912 Summer Olympics | 10 metre platform | Round one | 3rd in heat | Advanced to final |
Final | 8th | |||
Plain high diving | Round one | 2nd in heat | Advanced to final | |
Final | 5th |
Aro was the Chef de Mission of Finland at the 1928 Winter Olympics. He was the leader of Finland's swimming team at the 1924 and 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1924 he was also a diving judge.[7]
Aro won ten Finnish national championship golds in aquatics:
He was a member of eight clubs, all Helsinki-based:[7]
Aro was a board member of the International Ski Federation in 1926–1930.[7]
He was the chairman of the Finnish Ski Association in 1916–1926.[11]
He was a board member of Finnish Olympic Committee in 1919–1946 and its treasurer in 1929–1957.[7]
He was the chairman of the Finnish Swimming Federation in 1928–1946 and its honorary chairman.[7]
He was the progenitor of the Yrjönkatu Swimming Hall, the first public indoor swimming hall in Finland.[12]
He was the founding member of Suomen Latu, a national non-profit organisation for the promotion of outdoor recreation and a physical activities, and its inaugural chairman in 1938.[13]
He was active in many other notable Finnish sport organizations in the 1920s and 1930s.[14]
Aro was born and died in Helsinki.[7] His parents were Henrik Gustav Aro Ahlstedt and Mariaana Karoliina Forsell.[15] They finnicized their family name from Ahlstedt to Aro on 12 May 1906.[16]
He married dentist Katri Lille (1890–) in 1916. They had six children:[17]
He was the chief executive officer of the bank Helsingin Suomalainen Säästöpankki in 1925–1957.[20]
He was the editor-in-chief of Urheilulehti in 1917–1918.[7] He wrote some works, such as a fifty-year history of Helsingin Suomalainen Säästöpankki, banking-related manuals, sport and temperance movement histories.[20]
He was awarded the Knight of the White Rose of Finland.[15] His wife received the Commemorative medal of the Winter War.[17]