Salla is located in northeastern Finland. It's a municipality. Though, rather than something more akin to a city or town, that means something a little different in Finland. It's more in line with an American or Australian state, or a Canadian province. During World War II, it was heavily contested.

A hefty portion of Salla is found within the Arctic Circle. And residents of the municipality have become accustomed to experiencing the conditions one might expect in the region. Polar night, midnight sun, exceptionally low temperatures and so on. And so it might be surprising that officials there have launched a campaign for the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.

Climate change is the driving force

According to Reuters, temperatures in Salla regularly fall to minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit. And, as indicated by Euronews, it's considered the coldest place in Finland.

But all of this makes the municipality one of the most vulnerable areas on the planet to the effects of climate change. Some believe that by the team 2032 rolls around, environments like Salla's might not exist anymore. Salla Mayor Erkki Parkkinen hopes their Olympic case helps bring awareness to this.

Parkkinen also said that Salla's residents want it to stay as it has been. They want it full of snow and with its uniquely cold temperatures. If Salla were a Summer Olympics host in a few years, it likely means temperatures have continued to climb.

Something that this particular Olympic campaign is striving to stave off. It could be the only Olympic bid where it would be more disappointing if the region ended up hosting.

Finland has hosted one Olympic Games in the past

Helsinki, Finland's capital and most populous city, hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics. The city was also supposed to be the unexpected host of the Summer Olympics in 1940.

Originally, the games were supposed to take place in Japan. But war between Japan and China led to them being moved to Finland. World War II later caused the event to be canceled altogether.

It was much the same with that year's Winter Olympics. At varying times, they were to be hosted by Japan, Switzerland and Germany. Both Olympic events in 1944, slated for Italy and the United Kingdom, were also canceled over World War II.

Historically, Finland has tended to perform best at the Summer Games in athletics and wrestling. Currently, the athletics category is made up of track and field, road running and racewalking events. It formerly included cross country running. Among Finland's historic Olympic highlights was the strong showing by its Greco-Roman wrestlers when it hosted in 1952.

On the Winter side, Finland has been historically strong in cross country skiing.
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