BUDAPEST. What does it cost? was a quiz program shown in Finland at the turn of the millennium. In it, the participants competed to see who could estimate the prices of the products displayed in front of them the closest.
If the format in question were applied to Finnish sports discussion, and especially to the World Championships in athletics in recent years, the number of guesses would probably be large.
The update is based on last year’s financial statements of the Sports Association, which had a deficit of EUR 120,000.
The scapegoat for the result was the travel and accommodation expenses of the World Cup in Oregon, for which the association paid approximately 300,000 euros. The amount was 100,000–150,000 euros more than budgeted.
This, in turn, was influenced by the larger size of the Finnish World Cup team. The team grew in the last moments due to the cancellations of athletes from other countries, and sending athletes to the other side of the globe to Oregon, USA, was not the cheapest option for SUL.
The price tag of the individual athletes’ trip to the World Cup has been tossed around at one or another coffee table and in the media, but the relativization of the numbers has been completely forgotten.
It is probably worth mentioning that the Sports Association’s expenses last year were 6.8 million euros. The loss of 120,000 euros was therefore a share of 1.8 percent.
The crystal ball was missing
In the fall of 2021, the union’s budget table was missing a crystal ball that would have told about Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the consequent significant increase in costs. When this factor is also taken into account, the aforementioned 100,000–150,000 euro budget overrun in travel expenses is next to nothing.
This was especially because, according to SUL’s 2022 annual report, it still had 481,053.99 euros of equity at the end of the financial year.
Talking about the World Cup costs of individual athletes is absurd also because not selecting an athlete would have meant for SUL practically an automatic gig with the Sports Legal Protection Board.
It would have blessed the athlete’s journey, referring to SUL’s clear selection design.
Budapest expenses at a minimum
Athletics’ prestigious competition trips are a moving piece for national federations when outlining the next year’s budget.
In this year’s trip to the World Cup in Budapest, SUL did not have to take into account long preparatory camps like last year, which were related to adaptation when traveling to the other side of the globe.
When you add up the travel allowance per athlete from the International Athletics Federation and the accommodation exceptionally cleared by the competition organizers, SUL’s boss level has avoided a stream of expense complaints like the World Championships in Oregon.
But what if the World Cup had been organized instead of Budapest on the other side of the globe, such as in Tokyo, which will be the host in two years? What if in 2025 the world political situation is still reflected in prices? Should SUL tighten its prize belt when it comes to athlete selections?
The core is easily forgotten
The Finnish Sports Federation is rare in the sense that in 2023 alone, its mission includes para sports and youth, a total of 21 competitions that can be counted as prestigious competitions.
Deductibles related to value race trips have only recently become part of, for example, the Nordic championships, which enjoy non-existent visibility in the national media.
In junior competitions, the deductible is removed as a bonus if the athlete achieves a medal. The deductible decreases with the points.
Even in these cases, we are talking about a few hundred euros, while in many sports the deductibles run into several thousands.
In Finland, professional athletes enjoy massive TV interest in relation to their income. The greatest visibility is offered at the Olympic, World and European Championships.
Tough qualifying limits
There was no competition in Budapest on Thursday, but the main news of the day was the announcement of the qualifying limits for the field sports.
Although an athlete has only rarely needed to make the qualifying mark to reach the World Cup finals, something about the realities of the Finnish team shows that out of 22 athletes in field sports, only Wilma Murron, by Oliver Helander, Toni Kuuselan, Anni-Linnea Alanen and Silja Kosonen the best of the season would be enough for a place in the finals.
What about the rest of the Finnish team? Unlike in many other sports, in athletics it is essential to compare not only the power relations between athletes, but also the athlete’s own development.
In Finland, this approach was practiced in the years 2017–2021, when the team’s medal tally was empty again and again. After the four-medal European Championship success in Munich a year ago, a return to the path of realism is ahead in Budapest: every point is a rock-hard performance.
In addition, it is necessary to give a value Anniina Kortetmaan for athletes like Korttetmaa has made an effort from Kannus in Central Ostrobothnia with a population of 5,000 to a 50,000-seat World Cup arena.
He was one of the eight Finns who made it to Budapest due to cancellations.
Let’s go back to the beginning. What does it cost? format.
For these eight Finns, SUL paid for one coach sent to Budapest and one bodyguard. On top of that, I had to pay for the excess portion of the plane tickets.
The International Athletics Federation pays 500 euros for each athlete’s ticket. At current prices, you can get a return trip to Budapest with luggage for 700 euros.
Everyone can easily calculate how much the couple of thousand from plane tickets and the total costs of two people are in the annual expenses of 6.7 million euros.