According to the City of Helsinki, Elise Gymnastics was asked several times for an explanation on the development of ethical activities.
Jenni Harmanen,
Matti Lehtisaari
The city of Helsinki has decided to recover a total of 98,591 euros from Elise Gymnastics ry’s operating grant. It is about the 2022 operating and space grant. The city considers that the club did not meet the ethical criteria required to receive the grant.
However, the City of Helsinki considers that Elise Gymnastics ry has taken sufficient measures to bring its operations in line with the ethical principles of the sports community. This is how grants are awarded to the club for this year (2023).
In the background is the head coach of Elise Gymnastics Laura Ahosen applicable disciplinary procedure. In January 2023, the gymnastics association’s disciplinary committee gave the head coach a mild disciplinary punishment for his coaching methods in national team coaching.
In its decision, the City of Helsinki states that the club has not had operating instructions and models required by ethical principles in case of a situation where the person behaving inappropriately is a coach or other employee of the club.
In its decision, the City of Helsinki states that the club should have taken the suspicions about the coaches that came to its attention seriously and taken concrete measures without delay, so that possible actions contrary to ethical principles in the club’s operations would become apparent.
The city wants to communicate with its decision that compliance with ethical principles must be taken seriously and that there are penalties for violating the principles.
Grants for 2023 will be awarded
However, Elise Gymnastics gave the city of Helsinki a comprehensive report on how the club ensures ethical and safe activities for children and young people. Based on the report, the city of Helsinki considers that Elise Gymnastics ry has taken sufficient measures to bring its operations in line with the ethical principles of the sports community and thus with the aid conditions.
This year, 25,747 euros will be granted for the operation grant and 149,268 euros for the space use grant.
Urheilu reported in November 2022 that the head coach of the rhythmic gymnastics national team Laura Ahonen had acted improperly towards underage national team gymnasts for years. Among other things, the gymnasts were forced to lose weight in an unhealthy way. Ahonen’s misconduct took place between 2016 and 2021. He is still the head coach of Elise Gymnastics.
Ahonen’s disciplinary case was being processed by the Gymnastics Association for more than a year. In January 2023, Ahonen received a mild disciplinary sanction from the disciplinary committee, but not a ban on gymnastics.
Executive Director of Elise Gymnastics Mia Green stated For Helsingin Sanomatthat Ahonen’s misconduct is in no way related to Elise Gymnastics.
We had to wait for the decision
The city postponed the decision on the recovery in August, because the Gymnastics Federation provided the city with additional reports on the responsibility activities of Elise Gymnastics. They had not previously been brought to the attention of the city of Helsinki.
– The gymnastics association pointed out that the club would have made a responsibility program at the end of 2022, which the club itself had not told the city about. When it comes to such a big issue, we wanted to reassess the matter in the light of new information, the city of Helsinki’s sports services manager Tuuli Salospohja told at the time.
The city’s sports department wanted more time to consider the decision. The decision on both 2022 and 2023 grants was postponed to today’s meeting. The decision has been delayed before. Salospohja said that the city of Helsinki asked the gymnastics club three times within a year for an additional explanation of the measures, when doubts about the head coach came to light.
– We have not received any of the information we requested from the club. Next, we will ask the club for additional clarification for the fourth time, Salospohja said in August.