Miika Rantatorikka, executive director of the Päsäpalloliitto, says that the association wants to improve the clubs’ awareness of, among other things, the use of announcement channels.
The sports ethics disciplinary board administered by the Olympic Committee said on Monday that it had appointed a baseball player Joni Rytkönen to a five-month ban. The ban ends on June 30.
The matter is under investigation by the Eastern Finland police, where the police suspect the player in question of sexually abusing the child.
Rytkönen filed a criminal complaint against young women in November. The police are investigating whether the women have committed a crime. The crime is the unauthorized dissemination of a sexual image and the dissemination of information that violates private life.
The Finnish Baseball Federation announced in May that Rytkö, who represents Joensuu Maila, was suspected of involvement. After this, the matter was transferred to the investigation of the Finnish Sports Ethics Center (SUEK).
About two years ago, the sport featured a baseball influencer Petri Kaijansinko case. At that time, Kaijansinkko received a one-year playing and official suspension for unsportsmanlike behavior.
The Suek investigation in question investigated Kaijansinko’s activities in Pori in 2009–2011 and in Rauma in 2014–2015. Suek’s report also revealed a third incident that happened in Jyväskylä in 2017.
The executive director of the union at the time Vesa Rämet commented to Urheilu that the association is trying to eradicate bullying and other inappropriate behavior by, among other things, investing in educational campaigns and focusing on finding people in the clubs who can encourage, for example, children and young people to tell about it.
The current Executive Director of the Päsäpalloliitto Miika Rantatorikka says that the union has reporting channels through which inappropriate behavior can be reported.
What kind of channels do you have?
– There is the Don’t break the sport campaign, Väestöliitto’s Et ole plinnen channel, and Suek’s ILMO notification channel. We also have our own responsible persons in the Päsäpalloliito, who you can report to. In the future, we will also better inform the clubs what kind of channels are in use.
– Information and communication have been done and will continue to be done. We will catch such cases if they occur, Rantatorikka says.
“A safe place for everyone”
Rantatorikka says that the association will comply with the five-month suspension for Rytkönen ordered by the ethical disciplinary board. He does not want to comment at this stage on when Rytkönen could return to the sport’s elite sports activities if he wanted to.
Rytkönen has a player contract with Joensuu Maila until 2025.
– We are bound by what kind of punishments and bans are given. This matter has not yet been discussed in more detail at this point. The ban has been defined by the ethical disciplinary committee until June 30, Rantatorikka states.
Rantatorikka adds that these are individual cases.
– There have been such cases in other sports as well. We want sports to be a safe place for everyone. There must be zero tolerance for such behavior. We want to continue to root out such cases and bring them to the fore if they arise.
Correction 20:04: Petri Kaijansinkko is currently not working in any coaching positions.