Topi Raitanen and Joonas Rinne consider the central message of climate activists to be important, but the method of implementation does not garner sympathy from the athletes. Activists rushed to the track in the Diamond League over the weekend.
Joel Sippola,
Petra Manner
Joensuu GP races on Wednesday on TV2, Areena and on ‘s website from 18:30.
A scary moment was seen in the 400-meter hurdles race of the Diamond League in Stockholm on Sunday, when three climate activists had gathered on the track just before the finish line. Winner of the race Karsten Warholm was furious about what had happened.
Finnish athletics leaders also took note of Sunday’s events.
Climate activists held banners calling for the restoration of the drained marshes. Activists justified their attack by saying that politicians do nothing, even though people are dying because of climate disasters.
Steeplechase Top Raitanen says that the topic is important, but the place for the protest is wrong.
– It really puts bystanders in danger. That hurt. That is not the right place to bring up an important issue, Raitanen says.
Various protests at sports competitions have increased. Similar protests have been seen, for example, at F1 tracks and the Tour de France.
Does the phenomenon worry athletes?
– It certainly shows that the subject causes great emotions in people. I would hope that the conversation would remain moderate on both sides. A constructive discussion will surely find a solution, Raitanen states.
– I think it is important to talk about climate issues. However, it was not terribly elegantly executed, a middle-distance runner Joonas Rinne says.
Dangerous situations in training
Elokapina activist interviewed by Olli-Pekka Haavisto opened up why climate activists take radical measures that can cause dangerous situations. According to Haavisto, more benign means of influence have not led to sufficient actions in environmental protection and slowing down climate change.
From the athletes’ point of view, it is emphasized what kind of damage can happen if outsiders get lost on the track.
Endurance runner For Camilla Richardsson The events in Stockholm made me feel bad.
– An injury or something like that can happen when someone is sitting on the field.
Richardsson says that on long runs, you have time to react better to similar unexpected events due to the slower pace.
– But it’s really dangerous on fast trips.
Runner of the track circuit Mette Baas kudos to Richardsson.
– Yes, it was shocking. It’s really not okay to go like that in the middle of the race. It is also really dangerous for the athletes and themselves. It doesn’t make any sense.
Baas is also concerned that such a thing can be done on the athletics field at all.
– It should definitely be possible to prevent it.
The slope runs 800 meters. What could happen in such a situation?
– Even a layman can think that if he runs at full speed and stumbles on paving stones, it will hurt. When it’s a top athlete and the speeds are really fast, it’s a really dangerous situation at that moment if something unexpected happens. During the exercises, for example, you can be in a hall in a small space, where there are people who do not look properly in front of them. Those are dangerous situations.