As a means of kindling enthusiasm for the Olympic Games and a reminder of their imminence the poster has its own special mission. The »Paavo Nurmi» poster designed for the 1940 Games by the Finnish artist Ilmari Sysimetsä needed only minor alterations to be suitable again. A new competition in 1950 brought forth 277 designs, not one of which, however, could measure with the »Nurmi» poster.

The seven-colour poster was printed in two sizes and 20 different languages early in 1951 and its distribution abroad begun in March the same year. In Finland the first posters appeared in the summer of 1951 in railway stations, post offices, bus stations and sporting clubs. It was not generally displayed until the spring of 1952, shortly before the Games. The 115 000 copies printed were spread over the different languages as follows:

(Source document:   Official Report 1952, page 113)