The Olympic committee decided to appoint Matti Heikkinen as the head of the elite sports unit. According to Vapaavuori, the Olympic Committee intends to change its structures after the collapse of Paris.
Joel Holma,
Nina Old house
11.9. 21:17•Updated 11.9. 21:18
Finland’s failure to win a medal at the Paris Olympic Games made the Board of the Olympic Committee make radical decisions.
Matti Heikkinen will no longer continue as a top sports director. Leena Paavolainen pesti as the director of the sports and competition programs and ended up working for the Olympic Committee.
Criticism of the Olympic Committee rose after the Paris Olympics, when Finland did not receive any medals from the games for the first time in history.
– A significant new beginning was needed, and then you have to think about strategies, structures as well as people, chairman of the Olympic Committee Jan Vapaavuori explained the decision to Urheilu.
After the Olympics, four athletes published a letter in Ilta-Sanomin which the leadership of the Olympic Committee was criticized. Of the 31 Finnish Olympic athletes who responded to ‘s survey, 18 identified with the letter at least partially.
Did the letter have an effect on the endings of Heikkinen and Paavolainen’s pasts?
– Everything has an effect. We take all feedback we receive seriously. However, the most important factor is that Finland has underperformed in the Summer Olympics.
According to Vapaavuori, the position of the director of the elite sports unit will be up for grabs in the near future. No one will necessarily be admitted to Paavolainen’s laundry anymore, says Vapaavuori.
– First, a new top sports director is chosen. After that, it may be that Paavolainen’s bath will be filled.
Vapaavuori says that the use of resources will change. Changes are coming to the support system.
– The resources we have at our disposal are distributed a little less frequently.
Vapaavuori took Mira Potko having coached and Pihja Kaivo ditch to coach Maarit Teuronen as an example.
Potkonen won Olympic bronze in boxing in Rio and Tokyo. Noori Kaivo-oja was fifth among Finland’s most successful athletes in Paris.
– It can’t be that Maarit, who has coached to two Olympic medals, is doing all this in addition to his own work. It is necessary to be able to respond better to these types of situations by securing complete coaching resources and other professional support and a background team for potential medal hopefuls.
Rahkamo: “Can’t come to practice”
The Olympic Committee met at the end of last week in Vierumäki, where the decisions were made. The 1st vice president of the Olympic Committee was also present Susanna Rahkamo.
Rahkamo criticized the activities of the Olympic Committee in an interview with in August. There was direct criticism.
– Finland currently does not have a top sports strategy, he said in August.
Rahkamo does not want to comment on Heikkinen’s and Paavolainen’s situations, but praises the discussion that took place in Vierumäki at the end of last week within the board of the Olympic Committee.
– Now there is a common vision on what to focus on in the following years. People were worried. The government must be clear about what is to be done. That’s what we focused on and that above.
What kind of person would you like to be the new head of the elite sports unit?
– I think he must first of all understand top sport and its requirements. It has to be internalized and you have to be an expert on substance. You can’t come to practice for this.
Matti Heikkinen and Leena Paavolainen did not want to comment on the matter to Urheilu.