According to Mika Lehtimäki, Director of the Olympic Committee’s Center of Excellence, pregnancy or maternity leave is not a reason to opt out of grants.
Head of the Finnish Olympic Committee’s Top Sports Unit In Mika Lehtimäki and a beach volley player Taru Lahti-Liukkonen have different views on the results achieved by Lahti-Liukkonen.
According to Lehtimäki, Lahti-Liukkonen’s failure to receive an athlete’s grant from the Ministry of Education and Culture is due to the fact that the criteria are not met. In her Instagram update and an interview with Sport, Lahti-Liukkonen said she had been discriminated against because of her motherhood.
Last year, Lahti-Liukkonen was on the sidelines due to her maternity leave, but returned to the competitions in August with her partner. Anniina Parkkisen with. Lahti-Liukkonen, who had previously been one of the scholarship athletes in the autumn, made another application, but received a negative decision.
The head of the group in the top sports unit already gave a signal in the direction that the screens would no longer be enough to receive a grant. The Center of Excellence makes presentations on the recipients of athlete grants. The Ministry of Education and Culture awards grants.
Lahti-Liukkonen felt that his situation was not taken seriously. He filed an appeal. In 2020, due to the corona pandemic, there were no world tour competitions at all, and in 2021, she gave birth, so no screens could be given. He strongly believed that a claim for redress would work.
– It was shocking how they justified it. They took the ranking where I ranked 141. It has two tournaments included, while the others have eight tournaments. I thought it was humiliating.
“The criteria were not met and were not even close”
– Pregnancy or maternity leave is not a reason for us or the Ministry to refuse grants. We have had several cases where we have understood well that there will be breaks in competitions during pregnancy, Lehtimäki said.
According to Lehtimäki, Lahti-Liukkonen does not meet the criteria for a higher grant of EUR 10,000 and a lower grant of EUR 6,000 is intended for young athletes.
– Until Tokyo, we held many experienced athletes on a scholarship with slightly looser criteria, because we didn’t want to cram anyone’s Olympic path.
– After Tokyo, we wanted to include as many new, young athletes as possible in the EUR 6,000 grant category. We kept to the age limit. More experienced athletes must either reach the 10,000 euro grant category or stay out, Lehtimäki said.
In the case of Lahti-Liukkonen, who is turning 30 this year, the scholarship category for young athletes is out of the question.
– In the € 10,000 grant category, the criterion is to be regularly among the top 16 in the world and to aim for a place in the Olympics. In the case of Lahti-Liukkonen, no such results can be found, even if we go back several years. The criteria were not met and were not even close.
Lahti-Liukkonen wonders Lehtimäki’s interpretation. In 2020, the World Tour tournaments were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and in 2021 Lahti-Liukkonen gave birth to her firstborn. He lists the tough results from 2019.
– There is a bronze place on the world tour, where the medalists were won and a fifth place in the race, where everyone was the best in the world. In addition, we were second in the European rankings in June. Sure, that summer before the World Cup, we had injuries, so those games were disappointing.
“I really got a lot of messages when I brought it up”
According to Lehtimäki, the current scholarship system succeeds in combining motherhood and sports.
– It will certainly succeed when the criteria are met. Examples of recent years are the sailor Wind Pet-Siren and navigator Merja Rantanen access to grants after maternity leave. It is not a relevant thing, only the criteria are relevant.
However, Lahti-Liukkonen believes that there is room for improvement in the system.
– Absolutely. It was commented to me at the application stage that it is not uncommon for a family to be formed in the middle of a sports career. However, it is possible. I have really received a lot of messages when I brought this up, from athletes and others. I am really saddened by the messages about how starting a family for women has affected my career. Don’t even dare to think about starting a family and especially not to start doing it.
Lahti-Liukkonen said on Instagram that it was considering taking the matter to an administrative court, and in a telephone interview the position seemed to have strengthened.
– I have come to the conclusion that I will definitely take it to the end. I still feel discriminated against in the decision.
Finally, however, he would like to emphasize that he is grateful for the support he has received so far.
– It has played a big role, especially during the Corona period, when tournaments were canceled.