Weightlifter Anni Vuohijoki published an open letter on social media.
1.4. 13:25 • Updated 1.4. 13:25
Weightlifter Anni Vuohijoki says he is resigning from the board of the Olympic Committee. Vuohijoki, 33, has been an athlete on the board.
On Friday, Vuohijoki published a text on social media, “an open letter to the Finnish sports nation”. In the letter, he makes accusations against the leadership of the Olympic Committee.
There has been turmoil around the Olympic Committee since Thursday, March 24, when Sports reports Mika Lehtimäki warning. Last autumn, Lehtimäki, director of the Olympic Committee’s Center of Excellence for Sports, had received a warning about inappropriate behavior against women in the work community.
On Monday, March 28, Lehtimäki said he was resigning. He had been elected for an extension until the end of 2024, despite the warning he received.
The Board of the Olympic Committee held an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, the chairman of the Olympic Committee Jan Vapaavuori held a press conference asking him if he was aware of any other cases of harassment in addition to Mika Lehtimäki’s case.
– I am aware of one case, broadly speaking, in this environment. Every case is thoroughly investigated, Vapaavuori replied.
Vuohijoki writes in his text that the case referred to by Vapaavuori would be related to him. He reports that he received an email on March 28, 2022 stating that he was suspected of sexual harassment.
Vuohijoki announces that it has voluntarily taken the matter to the Finnish Sports Ethics Center for investigation and has reported the matter to the Olympic Committee.