Many Finnish athletes spend Christmas far from home. Endurance runners have gotten into the Christmas spirit at the camp in South Africa by eating rice porridge.
Finnish Winter Sports athletes compete hard in the world before and after Christmas. Even a break of a few days in the middle of the competition season is necessary, and many athletes spend Christmas peacefully.
The cross-country skiers are preparing for the tight crunch of the turn of the year, the Tour de Ski competition tour, which starts on Saturday in Toblach, Italy.
Ylen Urheilustudio challenged the athletes to tell who they would like to give a Christmas present to this year. In their arguments, the athletes expressed their gratitude to the people who helped them. Even one dog got a mention in the challenge.
In the video that is the main image of this story, cross-country skiers Krista Pärmäkoski and Perttu Hyvärinen, alpine skiers Jesper Pohjolainen, Eduard Hallberg and Elian Lehto and freestyle skiers Anni Kärävä and Kuura Koivisto give their gifts.
Endurance runners Nathalie Blomqvist, Joonas Rinne, Mustafa Muuse and Eemil Helander are spending Christmas in Dullstroom, South Africa. They are preparing for the reign of athletics starting in January-February in optimal conditions: on smooth roads at an altitude of about 2000 meters above sea level.
The happy running group tells in the video that they have enjoyed, among other things, rice porridge and Finnish Christmas carols at the camp.
Urheilustudio got into the Christmas mood already over the weekend. Janne Ahonen declared the start of Christmas peace on Sunday.
Urheilu wishes you a Merry Christmas!