Finland Wins World Olive Picking Title

October 21, 2026

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A team from Finland has been crowned champion at the World Olive Picking Championship in Croatia, even though Finland doesn’t have a single olive tree.

The yearly event was held on the island of Brač, with teams from 10 countries taking part. Each team had two men and two women, and they had 45 minutes to pick as many olives as they could.

Every olive was picked by hand. Each competitor wore a sakete, a traditional apron made from rough burlap cloth, to hold their olives before tipping them into their team’s crate.

The Finnish team picked 122.1 pounds of olives, which is about 55 kilograms, roughly the weight of a grown adult. The Czech Republic came second with about 48 kilograms, and Poland finished third with about 47 kilograms.

Finland’s team captain, Petri Utriainen, said the team had hoped to improve on its fourth place from last year, but hadn’t dared to hope for a win. “We don’t have a single olive tree in Finland, and now we’re world champions. It’s unreal,” he said.

The championship has been held every year since 2017, and is organised by local groups in Postira, including the tourist board and the council.

Te Reo Māori

Headline: Ka Toa a Finland i te Whakataetae Kohi Ōriwa

Kua whakaingoatia tētahi tīma nō Finland hei toa i te World Olive Picking Championship i Croatia, ahakoa kāore he rākau ōriwa kotahi i Finland.

I tū te whakataetae ā-tau ki te moutere o Brač, ā, i uru mai ngā tīma nō ngā whenua 10. Tokorua ngā tāne me ngā wāhine tokorua i ia tīma, ā, e 45 meneti tō rātou wā ki te kohi i ngā ōriwa maha rawa atu.

I kohia ia ōriwa ki te ringa. I mau ia kaiwhakataetae i tētahi sakete, he ārai tuku iho i hangaia ki te kakahu burlap taratara, hei pupuri i ā rātou ōriwa i mua i te riringi ki te pouaka o tō rātou tīma.

E 122.1 pāuna ngā ōriwa i kohia e te tīma o Finland, arā, tata ki te 55 kirokaramu, he rite ki te taimaha o tētahi pakeke. Tuarua ko te Czech Republic, tata ki te 48 kirokaramu, ā, tuatoru ko Poland, tata ki te 47 kirokaramu.

E ai ki te kāpene o te tīma o Finland, ki a Petri Utriainen, i hiahia te tīma ki te piki ake i tō rātou tūranga tuawhā i tērā tau, engari kāore rātou i māia ki te tūmanako ka toa. “Kāore he rākau ōriwa kotahi i Finland, ā, ināianei ko mātou ngā toa o te ao. Kāore e taea te whakapono,” tāna kōrero.

Kua tū te whakataetae ia tau mai i te tau 2017, ā, nā ngā rōpū o Postira i whakahaere, tae atu ki te poari tāpoi me te kaunihera.

Article written by Shem Banbury - Kiwi Kids News Editor

This article was written using AI as an assistive tool for research, writing, and proofreading.
The te reo Māori version of this article was translated with AI assistance. While care has been taken to keep it accurate, if you spot anything that doesn't read quite right, please let us know

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Digital Thinking

The school is starting a new garden project behind the hall. Students will plant vegetables, flowers, and herbs. They will water the garden, pull out weeds, and keep a record of how the plants grow. The teachers hope the project will help students learn about caring for living things and working together. Later in the year, the class may use some of the herbs in cooking activities. The garden is expected to make the school grounds look brighter too.

What is the main idea of the passage?

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