The Estonian Society for Sports History requested the Foundation for Sport Education and Information to change its decision to cease printing sports yearbooks from 2025.
The society wrote to the Ministry of Culture, the council of the Foundation for Sport Education and Information, and the Olympic Committee, asking them to review the decision. Sports historians hope to receive support from the Minister of Culture and the President of the Estonian Olympic Committee.
Jarko Koort, a member of the Foundation for Sport Education and Information, stated that sports organizations highly value the yearbook and emphasize its cultural significance. He promised to involve the Society for Sports History in resolving the issue.
In their appeals, sports historians expressed their desire for the Ministry of Culture and the Olympic Committee to support the publication of the sports yearbook in print.
According to the society, the online version cannot replace the book. The web may contain more information and statistics, but it should only complement the printed book.
Sports historians noted that a printed book is easier to use for many researchers. A printed book remains in libraries and on researchers' shelves for a long time, unlike the digital version.
The society added that the printing of sports yearbooks is a tradition over a hundred years old, and discontinuing it would be a step against culture.
Sports historians emphasized that Estonia's sports statistics are better than those of neighboring countries, and therefore this tradition should not be ended.
Finally, the society stated that the yearbook doesn’t need to be a picture book and can have a small print run, but it should remain for future generations.