The World Athletics Championships in Budapest were a celebration of sports and the athletes got to experience the Hungarians’ enthusiasm for athletics. However, Hungary is not a problem-free country, and a board member of the International Association of Athletics Federations (WA). Antti Pihlakoski according to him, it came up in discussions during the Games, but more so from the direction of the representatives of the Nordic countries.
Pihlakoski reminded that Hungary is both an EU and NATO country. It should mean a democratic country.
– I understand that we are here, but at the same time I state that this is not a democracy. Yes, things are handled quite autocratically here, Pihlakoski stated before the start of the weekend of the World Cup.
– We are in an EU and NATO member country, so it is a bit difficult to think where else these games would be held. You can’t always take them to Sweden.
Recycling of the games is important
Hungary was the only applicant for the World Cup that just ended, so WA was in a tight spot in the selection situation in 2018. Since the international union is an organization of 214 countries, according to Pihlakoski, the union cannot simply favor the Nordic countries, where democracy is at a good level.
When a country applies for prestigious athletics competitions, it is analyzed and scored. The scores take into account, among other things, human rights issues.
– Bad countries don’t get good points in them, but when you look at the points balance as a whole, then you have to think about what is the wisest thing to do.
Pihlakoski pointed out that WA wants to rotate the games in different continents, because it is important for the internationality of the sport.
– Now we are applying for the 2027 World Cup, and Italy is among the applicants. I don’t know how democratic or easy Italy is, Pihlakoski smiled.
At the World Championships in Budapest, one of the topics of discussion was the suffocating heat, and because of that, schedule changes had to be made at the Games. According to Pihlakoski, the situation was not ideal.
– Climate change is a difficult issue. When the games are granted, you have to think about where you are going and what the conditions are like. Because of that, we have partly thought about having their own competitions for long running sports and street sports, which would find their own place and time, Pihlakoski said.
The thinking about our own World Championships is already so advanced that the first Road Running Championships will be held in October in Riga, Latvia. At these World Championships, championships are awarded in the half marathon, 5 kilometers and mile.
The event is intended for all age groups and is also a mass event. On the other hand, with regard to the marathon and race walking, no decisions have been made yet, whether these sports will at some point get their own World Championships.
“There is no first time tourist here”
In international athletics, a ranking system has been in use for a few years already, and through it, for example, the Finnish team grew to a historically large size of 40 athletes for the World Championships in Budapest.
The ranking has been developed all the time, but it has attracted criticism, especially in small countries that are not able to send their athletes to good ranking competitions or are not able to organize them themselves.
Pihlakoski said he understands the criticism, but still thinks the current system is good.
– It considerably reduces the risk that you would get into the value competition based on one throw, jump or run. It tells more about the athlete’s level and is quite fair. I personally think that this ranking system is in the right direction, but of course it needs to be refined all the time, Pihlakoski said.
– It is extremely important that the best are present where heroes are made, i.e. at the European championships, national championships and the World Championships.
Not everyone follows the qualifying system offered by WA. For example, Great Britain has had its own qualifying system, and it has been significantly stricter than the one set by WA.
Because of that, many British athletes were missing from the Budapest Games. In Finland, on the other hand, it has been the principle to send all eligible athletes to the Games.
Pihlakoski emphasized that it is the countries’ own choice. He reminded that even though the Finnish team has been great in the last prestigious competitions, everyone has earned their place.
– I want to emphasize that there is not a single tourist here, although sometimes I get such messages. If all Finns were as hardworking, as determined, as hard working as these athletes here, then Finland would be a much better welfare country.