Väinö Bremer, a captain in the Finnish Air Force, was the captain of Finnish military patrol team, which won the silver medal at the 1924 Winter Olympics. Six months later Bremer competed at the Olympic Games again, this time finishing ninth in the modern pentathlon at Paris. But Bremer is more known as a Finnish aviation pioneer than an Olympic competitor and medalist. In 1920s Bremer was the leader of the Finnish Air Force Aerobatics team. In 1927 he was awarded the Harmon Statue, a prize awarded to the best Finnish pilot every year. In 1931 Bremer flew around Europe, while in 1932 he flew from Helsinki to Cape Town and back. In 1933 he tried to fly around the World, but Soviet officials did not give him permission to enter their territory, so Bremer had to cover part of the journey by boat. In 1933 he also flew around Asia. Väinö Bremer died in 1964 on Christmas Eve, when his plane crashed in Kerava while he was approaching Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
Finland