The ski association’s executive director Ismo Hämäläinen admits that cross-country skiing has not stayed within its budget for the World Cup season.
– It is not possible to go to North America with full teams. It feels a bit comical. The races have gone really well and the mood has gotten better, but the races will continue in four to five weeks at the World Cup. It shouldn’t be like this, but here we go.
Johanna Matintalo did not hide his disappointment when the 20 km joint start was skied in Goms, Switzerland. Matintalo said that he doesn’t think he will fit into the team going to the North American World Cup.
Matintalo, who was ill at the beginning of winter, returned to the games in mid-January and won the 20-kilometer intermediate start competition of the Scandinavian Cup in Otepää using traditional skiing. He was also third in the traditional sprint.
Last weekend, Matintalo was 13th in the Oberhof World Cup in the traditional 20 km mass start, also skied, and 15th in the sprint.
Matintalo was instead 29th (20 kilometers) and 36th (sprint) in the Goms free race. The results were not enough for the coaching management, who dropped Matintalo from the national team traveling to North America.
The World Cup continues in Canmore, Canada, from the 9th to the 13th. February and in Minneapolis, USA on February 17-18.
The Executive Director of the Ski Association Ismo Hämäläinen a group of 10–12 Finnish athletes will go to North America. He understands Matintalo’s criticism, which he does not swallow without chewing.
– Johanna is right in a certain way that it shouldn’t go like this. There are big things here. We can’t do anything about the increase in travel and accommodation costs. We have a certain budget, which frames and partly limits the whole, says Hämäläinen.
Canmore is located 1,300 meters above sea level, which must be taken into account when traveling.
– When talking about the time difference and being high, the delays are really long. The cost is also multiplied through that. It’s not just about the competition, Hämäläinen says.
Budget exceeded
Hämäläinen admits that cross-country skiing, as the largest sports group of the Ski Association, has not stayed within the budget set before the season.
– The whole time we have had to look at where we are going. No more places were added to the North American tour because there was no prospect in terms of finances or athlete potential.
Four World Cup races are held in Canmore and two in Minneapolis. Only two of the six races, Canmore’s 20 km mass start and sprint, are skied to Matintalo with a strong traditional skiing style.
The CEO does not agree to estimate the exact amount, how much one athlete’s trip to Canmore would cost.
– Compared to Goms’ race trip, the cost is 4-5 times, Hämäläinen states.
The story was edited on January 28, 2024 at 18:10: Johanna Matintalo’s statement after the Goms competition was clarified. Matintalo announced in an interview that he “doesn’t think he will fit” in the team traveling to North America. Earlier in the story it was claimed that Matintaloa was not selected for the team.