57 Facts About Kalervo Kummola

Kalervo Juhani Kummola was born on 21 November 1945 and is a Finnish ice hockey executive, businessman, and politician.

Kalervo Kummola co-founded the hockey club Kiekko-67 at age 21, was later marketing director for HC Turun Palloseura, and chief executive officer of the SM-liiga.

Kalervo Kummola helped organize multiple World Championships hosted in Finland, was an International Ice Hockey Federation vice-president from 2003 to 2021, and chairman of the Finnish Olympic Committee from 2005 to 2016.

In business, Kummola co-founded the television production company VipVision, and was its chief executive officer from 1987 to 1999.

Kalervo Kummola served as chairman of the Tampere chamber of commerce, was the chief executive officer of the Tampere Hall entertainment and convention facility.

Kalervo Kummola was appointed mayor of Tampere in May 2023, serving until May 2025.

Kalervo Kummola was inducted into the builder categories of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, and the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2023.

Kalervo Kummola was the first hockey person awarded the Grand Cross of Merit for Finnish Sports Culture and Sport, and was given the honorary title of Consul General by the president of Finland.

Kalervo Juhani Kummola was born on 21 November 1945, in Raisio, Finland, to parents Eino Viljam Kummola and Aili Johanna Lehto.

Kalervo Kummola grew up in a Pentecostal family, and had one brother and two sisters.

Kalervo Kummola played ice hockey as a youth, and described himself as a troublemaker in elementary school.

At age 13, Kalervo Kummola moved with his family to Australia, where he lived for three years and learned to speak English.

Kalervo Kummola played football and baseball at school, and graduated from Keira Boys' High School in North Wollongong, New South Wales, in 1962.

Kalervo Kummola returned to Finland with his family at age 16, and attended the Reserve Officer School to become a second lieutenant in the Finnish Defence Forces.

Kalervo Kummola later reached the rank of major in the reserves of the Finnish Defence Forces.

Kalervo Kummola played hockey as goaltender in for several lower-division teams in Turku, and established a team for the Pentecostal church.

Kalervo Kummola was elected president of Kiekko-67 at age 22, becoming the youngest ice hockey club president in Finland.

Kalervo Kummola later joked that, "My teammates said I would be better as a club manager than as a goalkeeper".

Kalervo Kummola later worked as the marketing director for HC Turun Palloseura from 1971 to 1975, then relocated to Tampere when he became chief executive officer of the newly-established professional SM-liiga in 1975.

Kalervo Kummola served in the position for 12 years until 1987.

Kalervo Kummola became a board member of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 1975, was elected its vice-president in 1990, and served as its president from 1997 to 2016, serving under president Kai Hietarinta.

Kalervo Kummola was one of the founding members of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979, sat on its board of directors for 33 years, and has been chairman of the inductee selection committee since 1986.

Kalervo Kummola was a driving force behind construction of the Nokia Arena in Tampere, which took 15 years of planning to build the venue.

Kalervo Kummola enacted a ban on tobacco and alcohol for players and officials shall be prohibited, with the reasoning that it upheld ethics in sport in addition to avoiding health hazards.

Kalervo Kummola was named the Finnish delegate to the International Ice Hockey Federation in 1976, and the IIHF council beginning in 1998.

Kalervo Kummola retired as vice-president in 2021, serving his whole tenure under president Rene Fasel, who retired in 2021.

Kalervo Kummola remained involved with the IIHF, named to the hall of fame and historical working group from 2021 to 2026.

Kalervo Kummola was a member of the board of directors for the Finnish Olympic Committee from 1993 to 2005, then served as its chairman from 2005 to 2016.

Kalervo Kummola was a member of the board of directors for the Pajulahti Sports Institute from 1994 to 2006, then served as its chairman from 2006 to 2014.

Kalervo Kummola served as chairman of the organizing committee for the Finnish Athletics Championships in 1996.

Kalervo Kummola worked in administration for Unilever Finland from 1966 to 1973, then was the marketing manager for FC Inter Turku from 1973 to 1975.

Kalervo Kummola co-founded the television production company VipVision in 1987, and served as its chief executive officer from 1987 to 1999.

VipVision produced entertainment shows for MTV3, and Kalervo Kummola was in involved with making the Finnish version of Wheel of Fortune, Hyvat herrat, and Hockey Night in Finland.

Kalervo Kummola thought it would be a craze for a few years, but it remained popular to his surprise.

Kalervo Kummola served as chairman of the Tampere chamber of commerce from 1993 to 2017, was chairman of the Vierumaki Country Club from 2006 to 2017, and served as vice-chairman of the School of Art and Communication at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences.

Kalervo Kummola helped organize European Union meetings at the hall, and envisioned a multi-purpose centre expansion next to the Sorsapuisto for major events including World Championships.

Kalervo Kummola later served as chairman of the Tampere Group, which oversees 40 local companies.

Kalervo Kummola served as chairman of the Pirkanmaa electoral district of the National Coalition Party, and was elected the district's deputy commissioner in advance of the 1980 Finnish municipal elections.

Kalervo Kummola served on the City Council of Tampere from 1989 until 2004, and was its vice-chairman from 1997 to 1999.

Kalervo Kummola served on the Tampere City Board from 1989 to 1997; was a member of the Pirkanmaa Council from 1997 to 2001, and its chairman from 2001 to 2005.

Kalervo Kummola served on the Finnish delegation to Nordic Council in 1999, and was an auditor of the Bank of Finland from 2000 to 2002.

Kalervo Kummola declined candidacy in the 2003 election, as he was not interested in serving as opposition to the government.

Kalervo Kummola was appointed mayor of Tampere on 15 May 2023, to complete the mayoral term vacated by Anna-Kaisa Ikonen who was elected to the Parliament of Finland.

Kalervo Kummola stressed the need to take care of children, youth and the elderly, and have a comprehensive school network.

Kalervo Kummola married Tuula Annikki Kuusela in 1969, and has two daughters.

Kalervo Kummola became independently wealthy due to his success in television.

In recreational time, Kalervo Kummola partakes in birdwatching and fishing, and listens to the Christian Radio Dei.

Kalervo Kummola owns an island in the Kustavi-Uusikaupunki area, and claims to have spotted more than 50 bird species locally.

Kalervo Kummola is interested in environmental issues, nature conservation, and preserving the Baltic Sea.

In 1999, Kalervo Kummola was a rallying participant involved in a crash with a car driven by Teemu Selanne, which put Kalervo Kummola into a wheelchair for four months.

Kalervo Kummola has received multiple honors for his work in hockey.

Kalervo Kummola was inducted into the builder category of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, and inducted into the Hall of Fame for HC Turun Palloseura in 2015.

Kalervo Kummola was honored for his lifetime contributions to Finnish ice hockey, at the Finnish Sports Gala in January 2019.

Kalervo Kummola was named an honorary chairman of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.

Kalervo Kummola was inducted into the builder category of the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2023, during a ceremony held prior to the medal games of the 2023 IIHF World Championship in Tampere.

On 22 October 2015, Kalervo Kummola received the Medal of the President of the Slovak Republic for his work in international ice hockey.

Kalervo Kummola is known by the nickname "Rautakansleri", which was the title of his biography co-authored with Jari Korkki in 2020.