The chairman of the Olympic Committee, Jan Vapaavuori, was left in the debate – “Trust must be earned in sports as well, it cannot be stated by oneself”

Chairman of the Olympic Committee Jan Vapaavuori Admitted at a discussion between the Olympic Committee (OK) and its member organizations on Monday that Mika Lehtimäki the warning of inappropriate behavior and re-election as head of the Top Sports Unit should have been treated differently.

Vapaavuori emphasized that neither the case nor the warning could be made public, but in retrospect, the punishment should have been brought to the attention of OK’s board before being re-elected.

– Maybe you could have told the government, maybe you could have acted differently. This should not have been the case, Vapaavuori spoke about the matter in the opening speech, which lasted almost half an hour.

– Due to the importance of the task, the matter should have been run in a different way.

Mika Lehtimäki resigned from the Top Sports Unit after a stir in March.

Only a few member organizations spoke at the debate, but from time to time there was strong criticism of the way the Olympic Committee was run.

President of the Biathlon Association Kalle Lähdesmäki stated to Urheilu that shortcomings in the management system of the Olympic Committee have been visible for a long time. In his view, the good governance and transparency enshrined in the values ​​and documents of the Olympic Committee have fallen short of the surface.

– Many problems could have been avoided if the management system and the interaction had been linked. It is known that different parties are doing, Lähdesmäki comments.

In his speech at the discussion, Lähdesmäki thought that Lehtimäki’s case was just the tip of the iceberg and that the debate over appointments had been incomprehensible. Lähdesmäki also asked an important question about the ability of the board of the Olympic Committee to work from the perspective of member organizations:

– How does the current government feel about the situation? Are you able to work in this climate, in this environment? he asked.

– If the government feels that it is able to work, the government should prioritize the development of a management system that covers the entire activities of the Olympic Committee. The principles of good governance need to be updated.

Has served in positions of trust in sports organizations for more than 40 years Birgitta Kervinen represented senior Finnish sports directors at the event. He said in his speech that change management must also be based on values ​​and basic tasks.

Kervinen was disappointed with Lähdesmäki that so many member organizations did not take part in the discussion.

– It is a very long-term phenomenon in Finnish and international sports that decisions are made somewhere other than where they should be made, Kervinen comments to Urheil.

For him, the recent events around the Olympic Committee have been a great disappointment, but he recalled that if one is familiar with leading a national and international sports movement, it was not surprising. According to Kervinen, the decision-making group has shrunk and excluded Finnish sports life.

– The problem is transparency. Of course, things are explained here through law, but if the board knows its own rules, its own responsibility programs, its own state when making decisions, then yes, every responsible member of the board will ask questions about things, Kervinen said.

He also wondered how the board and chairman could, after a mistake, declare their own confidence.

– Even in sports, trust must be earned, it cannot be stated.

Following the Lehtimäki incident, two other suspicions of inappropriate conduct related to the Olympic Committee were revealed. They have been brought to the attention of the Finnish Sports Ethics Center Suek.

An extraordinary meeting of the OK will be held on May 31 at the request of the Badminton Association and 16 other member organizations. The member organizations also demand an external report on the activities of the Olympic Committee.

Kervinen pointed out that this extraordinary meeting of members will be held on the same day as the general meeting.

– I already consider it a denigration of democracy. It should have been convened as soon as possible, Kervinen said.