Finns apologize for falsifying 1938 race result that deprived Jewish sprinter of victory

HELSINKI – Seventy-five years later, Finland has apologized for listing a Jewish sprinter as finishing fourth in a race he clearly won.

Abraham Tokazier ran the 100 metres in a 1938 Finnish national competition at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium. In a photo in a local newspaper the next day, he was seen crossing the line first.

The Finnish Athletics Federation says any manipulation or falsification of results is “shocking and against the basic principles of sports.”

Federation chairman Vesa Harmaakorpi says “I present our humblest apologies over this issue to all those and their nearest ones who have suffered wrongdoing.”

Spokesman Eero Ramo says international rules don’t allow results to be adjusted later. Jewish groups have for years demanded the result be changed.