A tribute to Sauli Niinistö was arranged in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Thursday. Displayed on the sidewalk of the market square was a large ice bucket. Inside the ice bucket was a jersey from the Finnish national ice hockey team and a Finnish flag. The jersey bore Niinistö’s name.
The jersey placed in the ice bucket was not just any jersey. It bore the number 12 and had “Niinistö” written on the back. This seems to be a nod to Sauli Niinistö, who concluded his term as the President of Finland on that very day.
The number 12 on the jersey could be interpreted in two ways. It could signify the number of years Niinistö served as the President. Alternatively, it could also denote that Niinistö is the 12th president of Finland.
As of now, the individual or group responsible for arranging this tribute remains anonymous.
Niinistö is known to be an ice hockey enthusiast. He is often seen with skates on his feet and a hockey stick in his hand. The most recent sighting of Niinistö participating in an ice hockey event was at the Save Pond Hockey event in Helsinki at the beginning of February.
The office of the President of Finland will be succeeded by Alexander Stubb, who will take over the duties from Niinistö on Friday.
