Such is the reverence for Olympics in this small northern country. While in other countries, Olympic victories are greeted with temporary enthusiasm, Estonia bestows permanent honors on those who even attend the Olympics as spectators. The Estonian state has asked anyone who possesses an Olympic Games entrance day pass to contact it so that sculptor Tauno Kangro may begin creating a likeness of that individual. If the day pass is unavailable, the state will accept any restaurant receipt from Canada dated during or around the Olympic festival."There aren't many more than a million people worldwide who call themselves Estonian," said the state's Olympic Sculpture Committee chairman Karl Kivi. "So if we make some statues of some of them and scatter them around the country, then it'll appear we have more citizens and we'll get more respect." Several years ago the Estonian state attempted to encourage births of Estonian children by making it financially attractive to mothers, but the program failed. "The Estonian population is still on the decline," said Kivi. "This program is a sure fix." Kivi noted that each statue would have the right to vote as long as it voted Centre Party.
This way to the Olympic Village (above): a statue points the way.
I don't think this is true. I was at the games for too weeks and nobody has asked me to make a sculpture. I would like a sculpture of me in my home of Narva. I also didn't see V.I. Lenin anywhere in attendance, altho there seems t be a sculpture made of him.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, this is absolutely true. I have been contacted by mr. Kivi by email. He had heard I had watched some Olympic ice hockey games on TV, and asked for pictures about me for a statue. The fact that I am a Finn did not seem to bother him at all.
ReplyDeleteIf you want your statue located in central Tallinn, you need to donate some money to the Centre Party. Otherwise there are no costs involved, as the statues are paid from European Union structural funds.