The Baseball Federation plans to eradicate harassment through penalties and training campaigns. The third case in Suek’s investigation was revealed in Petri Kaijansinko’s harassment court.
3.6. 17:18 • Updated June 3rd. 17:20
The Finnish Baseball Association informed the baseball player on Friday Petri Kaijansinkon for a year-long ban on gambling and stewardship of unsportsmanlike conduct. The ban on the trustee was decided by the Federation of the Baseball Federation and the Board of Superpesis.
The ban on gambling and stewards has been imposed on the basis of a study carried out by the Finnish Sports Ethics Center. This Suek report examined Kaijansinko’s operations in Pori in 2009–2011 and in Rauma in 2014–2015. Suek’s report also revealed the third case that took place in Jyväskylä in 2017.
Executive Director of the Baseball Association Vesa Rämet recalls that the details of the Kaijansinko case cannot be opened.
– These three players are covered by strong privacy. We do not have the opportunity to open up what they have said at the hearing with Suek. If they decide to tell it themselves, they will act independently. However, we cannot say this because of the sensitivity of the matter. The behavior is inappropriate. As has been said in public, he (Kaijansinkko) has admitted the first two cases. In a way, you can find the basics there, Rämet says.
This is inappropriate behavior. Is it sexual harassment?
– It’s been harassment, misuse. I can’t go that far into detail. Unfortunately, these are things that cannot be told.
Where was 12 months sentenced?
– The problem is that we or elsewhere do not have terribly similar precedents. This punishment was what was considered sufficient in this case. In practice, he has been in temporary custody for five months during this process. It ends on December 29th. This is the overall consideration of what has been done on the federal board. We have been assisted by two lawyers who have been able to proportionate the length of the sentence.
Why was the Pori case declared obsolete?
– Ten years will come from general case law. It is more than ten years since the Pori case.
What has happened in the case of Rauma?
– Unfortunately, this too is under strong privacy protection. They are information that was not previously known. We can’t just open it.
The third case, which took place in Jyväskylä in 2017, has emerged through Suek’s investigation. What is this about?
– I can’t go into detail about that either. This goes into the same category.
There has been a lot of talk over the last year about inappropriate behavior and language on baseball courts. What concrete steps have been and will be taken in the Baseball Federation to eradicate harassment?
– Penalties and training campaigns are these actions. Things that come to our notice are subject to the sanctions that our rules allow. In addition, we educate, train and campaign. We have programs where you can report inappropriate behavior on a low threshold. We have added courses to the degree program that address issues. The game directors of children’s and youth camps have an obligation to complete such a course, Rämet concludes.
Sports also reached the chairman of the Baseball Association Ossi Savolainen to comment on the topic.
What will be required of clubs in the future?
– We emphasize the importance of this issue in all social matters and in all those that deal with children, young people and adults. After all, this is the kind of thing that needs to be ensured everywhere. It is necessary to find certainty that there are people in every club who can encourage children, young people, women and men to be in immediate contact in such cases, Savolainen says.
The release states that components related to the fight against harassment have been added to the education system, which are required to go through e.g. from coaches and game managers coming to children’s and youth camps. What do these parts mean?
– It is about raising public awareness and the responsibilities of club actors to boldly intervene in possible cases. I may not know about sports, but perhaps there are concrete examples in the business world of how people can be made aware of these things.
– It is complex and will probably have to be treated quite differently in different age groups. Public awareness needs to be raised. It must be possible for there to be people in the clubs who can be contacted. No matter how good a system we have, there are no people who can take these things, this will never lead to anything.
Who would take care of these things then?
– Ever since my parents. Team leaders and game managers. All responsible social actors. It is not enough for the club director or game manager alone to be responsible for it. This matter needs to be clear to all those who work on the baseball team.