The “rebellion group” of six people now has the most favorable opportunity to turn their vision of the changes in elite sports management into flesh and blood, writes Urheiluin’s Pekka Holopainen.
Pekka Holopainen
Government ministers’ speeches always have more effort and thrust than their assistants have to grant audiences in the ministry’s most spacious workroom. Most have to lobby for their cause or project, so to speak, on the side of the crowd.
When, earlier this month, an independent working group of six famous sports people, inspired by the success of the Paris Olympics, a historic 0+0+0=0 for Finland, wanted to present their views on the huge needs for change in Finnish elite sports, the ground could not have been more welcoming. Sports Minister by Sandra Bergqvist (r) Kerberos directed Sami Itanin, Jarmo Mäkelän, Kati Lehtonen, by Karl-Erik Michelsen, Valentin Kononen and Anu Nieminen bowing to the holiest to tell thoroughly what kind of measures a change of direction and rhythm would require.
From the above list of names, everyone can see that not only the content of the presentation was important, but also the names of its authors. It’s no coincidence that, for example, Urheilu talks about biathlon Kaisa Mäkäräinen and hill jumping Janne Ahonen.
The minister wants changes
The working group presented its ideas to the media at Urhea’s Olympic training center in Helsinki on Tuesday. At the same time Helsingin Sanomat published by the minister Bergqvist’s interview, which can only be interpreted in one way. The minister is sympathetic to the sextet’s ideas and demands significant changes in the management of Finnish elite sports. Bergqvist expresses himself as a politician in the matter with rare clarity.
The model presented by Kuusiko for the superstructure of Finnish elite sports would be this, after correcting a couple of kinks: an autonomous elite sports organization called Sisu under the Ministry of Education and Culture, which would have its own board, management team, director and experts specialized in both athlete performance and the implementation of plans, who would be recruited through a global search .
The monthly salary would be enjoyed by 6-7 people, who would be given the powers of a dictator in terms of money and resource distribution. The start date for the presentation was the middle of next year, which means a super fast pace. A super fast man, aka speed skating star Mika Poutala (qd.) of course, even at that stage the Ministry of Sports is involved.
Cold ride
On the other side of the coin is the top sports unit of the Olympic Committee’s own organization, which started its work shortly 13 years ago. In the opinion of the “rebellion group” and many other critics, it is a long enough time to show their abilities in a fiercely rhythmic area of life such as top sports.
If the ministry really warms up to the Sisu project, it means a cold ride for the top sports unit and, in general, for top sports led by the Olympic Committee. The Ministry of Education and Culture cannot order the Finnish Olympic Committee, which enjoys the autonomy guaranteed by the Associations Act, to change its rules, let alone abolish its elite sports unit, but the main financier, who accounts for more than 70% of the activity, has other means of persuasion if necessary.
It’s not at that point yet Matti Heikkinen would remain the last director of the elite sports unit. But the very fact that such an idea can be balled up with papers in your hands is a downright magical achievement from the sextet, even if it was achieved in about a week.
Why now?
Why exactly is this moment the most suitable for such a huge collision of continental plates in the reality of Finnish top sports?
The result of Paris was a disaster, as expected, and it did not rain manna in the chest of the minister who was interested in his popular popularity. The work group’s presentation is completely reasonable in itself – and contains many elements of the work that the elite sports unit is already doing. The relationship between the Olympic committee’s top officials on the sports and sports side, i.e. the minister’s whispering group, with the Olympic committee is downright historically weak – and it always takes two to tango.
The Olympic Committee has become the chew toy of the entire sports community.
In just over a month, the Olympic Committee will choose a new board of trustees. So far, there is only public interest in the presidency Tapio Korjuswho, as a board member of the committee, already raised his voice that the maintenance of the elite sports unit remained on the Olympic Committee’s agenda and regulations in general.
Minister Bergqvist wants to see a change by the end of the year. If there is a view on the horizon where the core juice of the activity, i.e. top sports, i.e. Olympic glory flows into the palace of the Ministry of Education and Culture in Kruununhaka, know that even if Korjus remains the only candidate – and he too would regret the whole thing.