Ice hockey coach Jukka Jalonen is at least as close to the status of a national hero as you can get in Finland by working in sports. Jalonen, who has coached his Lions team to four world championships and one Olympic victory, attracted attention recently when one of the leading candidates in the presidential election Alexander Stubb (collective) said that the head coach, who will leave in the spring, is one of the leaders of his campaign’s support group.
Jalonen knew that his game moves also wakes up bad blood, because the A national ice hockey team is the country’s most beloved sports institution in all social classes and political groups.
Jalonen, who has been silent about his role in Stubb’s campaign until now, now wanted to open the matter to Urheilu.
– Of course, I understand what kind of institution the hockey A national team is almost the talk of the whole nation. Through that, I also fully understand that this can really annoy a lot of people, Jalonen admits.
Stubb called
The collaboration with Stubb began when Jalonen received a call from a candidate whose father, an emeritus influencer of Finnish ice hockey Goran Stubb he also feels well. The younger Stubb suggested Jalose an important position in the campaign.
Although political activity is a citizen’s constitutional right and does not require separate permits from employers than some in exceptional cases, Jalonen decided to secure his balance in two ways.
– I asked the employer, i.e. the managing director and chairman of the Jääkieckoliitto (Sami Kauhanen and Harri Nummela), what thoughts does this evoke. Even if I wasn’t forced to do so, I wouldn’t have gone on the campaign trail if the union had opposed it.
Of course, Jalos, who is preparing for the last World Cup in his head coaching tenure, was also interested in time management issues.
– I assured “Alex” that this should not take more time than it should. There is so little of it that whatever our success at next spring’s World Cup is, it cannot be explained in the slightest by the fact that I was involved in this campaign.
Alexander Stubb is not the only candidate supported by well-known sports figures. For example, an ex-figure skater Kiira Korpi publicly supports Pekka Haavisto (voting association, green) and Olympic javelin thrower, member of the board of the Olympic Committee Tapio Korjus Olli Rehnia (voter association, central).
– I consider Pekka (Haavisto) to be the best candidate in terms of his experience, skills, personality and, from my own point of view, also his world of values, says Kiira Korpi.
Haavisto is also supported by people familiar with football Tim Sparv mixed Tinja-Riikka KorpelaOlli Rehn, who has a football background, is known by athletics people, i.e. the former chairman of the Sports Association Sami Itani and current chairman Riikka Pakarinen.
Two previous requests
Riihimäkeläinen Jalonen says that two parties have previously asked him to participate in the municipal elections, but received a negative answer.
– I’m not a political person, and during my university days, for example, I wasn’t interested in student politics. I come from a working-class home. Social issues in general have become interesting as I get older, which is probably normal.
Although, for example, Stubb, who competes in triathlon full distances and moves around every day, is the most athletic among the candidates, sport was not the most important reason in Jalonen’s decision to agree to the cooperation.
– It is not clear to anyone his passion for his own and others’ sports, but I went with the idea that the country is running for president. If Alex sets a good example for the people with his lifestyle and athleticism, it’s a bonus, but only a bonus. The current world situation sets a level of demand for the president, which I believe Stubb can best meet.
An hour’s walk
About spending his time in campaign work, Jalonen said on Independence Day that he had so far visited Leppävaara in Espoo once for an hour’s campaign walk. He trusts in Stubb’s success and presents a well-known analogy from hockey.
– When the game is going, and the situation is good, the worst mistake is to become passive in fear of mistakes. Own game until the buzzer.
Stubb’s support group leaders also include the ice dance legend, vice-president of the Olympic Committee Susanna Rahkamo. He justifies his decision in almost the same words as Jalonen.
– I consider him the most capable candidate. Sports and physical education merits are an additional plus, Rahkamo states.
UKK’s playbook
Political researcher and assistant professor at the University of Turku Markku Jokisipilä has followed with interest how strong the Finnish sports movement is is grouped Behind Stubb: In addition to Jalonen and Rahkamo, a skier Cross mat Hakola and ex-spear star Mikaela Ingberg are regional campaign locomotives. Also an F1 driver Valtteri BottasEuropean steeplechase champion Top Raitanen and a three-time Olympic champion in skiing Iivo Niskanen appear as Stubb’s supporters.
– At least in recent history, I can’t think of another campaign that would have managed to gather such a famous group from the world of sports and in such important campaign roles. This is very exceptional, Jokisipilä, who is the director of the Center for Parliamentary Research, tells Urheilu.
From further back in history, Jokisipilä digs up a person whose playbook he assumes Stubb has carefully familiarized himself with. Served as president 1956–1981 Urho Kekkonen in the 1930s, worked in important sports political positions and was a great runner SpongeBob Nurmea while defending against professional accusations, even cutting the sports gaps between Finland and Sweden.
– In the spirit of the times, it was also a clever political bet, when a Swede (Chairman of the International Olympic Committee) was still taking away amateur rights from Nurme Sigfrid Edström). Kekko was very widely supported in sports circles. I’d be surprised if this bit of history was foreign to a well-read person like Stubb.
Jokisipilä believes the importance of the support of sports people to Stubb’s election result is positive.
– Not using the country’s largest popular movement in the campaign would be foolish, if it can be used. This will hardly increase the popularity of the sports people who went along, as some will certainly be harsh on such a choice.
Jokisipilä gives an exhaustive assessment of the always talked about relationship between sports and politics.
– Even in Finnish sports, politics is an essential element baked into it. Sports issues, for example, are dealt with in one way or another in fifty different ministries. The rest is more festive talk.
Ice hockey and the coalition
The fact that the choice of well-known sports people is aimed at the candidate from the coalition does not surprise the researcher:
– Ice hockey has well-documented long-term connections with the association, for example Kalervo Kummola or here in Turku in due course Hannu Ansaksen through.
The chairman of the ski association who will step down in the spring Markku Haapasalmi has worked in the ranks of the coalition in the municipal politics of Seinäjoki. Stubb was more or less the guest of honor at the Kuusamo World Cup recently.
– After being elected, Stubb would of course not be able to start handing out any concrete gifts to the sport. His biggest gift would certainly be a physical example and an interest in elite sports.
In recent decades, the cultural crowd has most typically united behind a left-wing or green presidential candidate in the big picture.
– Generalizing is dangerous, but it seems to be a trend that more often a left-wing or green candidate is applied for from the culture side, and a bourgeois candidate from the sports side. But this is not categorical, says Markku Jokisipilä.