The agreement for the World Cup in Lahti 2029 was supposed to be signed at the beginning of June, but at least the Finns will not commit to the contract model received now.
In its meeting on Wednesday of this week, the board of the Finnish Ski Association decided that the organization, which is putting out its acute fires and made a massive loss of 1.9 million in the financial year that ended, is now playing on the safe side financially. The Ski Federation informed the International Ski Federation FIS that it does not agree to sign the first version it received about organizing the Lahti World Championships in 2029.
In practice, it’s about money, i.e. the amount of the International Ski Federation’s organizing grant and other income and risk distribution of the event. The ski association’s chances of getting a better contract are good, at least from one point of view.
– We are the only applicant, Sirpa Korkatti, the new chairman of the Ski Federation, told Urheilui on Thursday.
Along with the ski association, the city of Lahti, the Lahti Ski Club and Salppuri Oy would commit to the terms of the organizing agreement.
Korkatti said that he had talked with the Lahti city management and that they understood the situation of the Ski Association. His finances, e.g. An organization that is clarifying with the help of the yt procedure and the crisis team cannot take big risks.
“We want to organize”
– There must be a clear picture of the responsibilities to which we are committing ourselves. The question is big for us, and we want to organize the World Championships, but above all we have to take care of the Finnish Ski Federation’s ability to operate, Korkatti stated.
The Ski Federation still owes the city of Lahti about 1.9 million from the 2017 World Championships. Part of the big losses at that time was caused by an unfavorable organizational agreement with the city of Lahti.
The WC organizing agreement was supposed to be signed at the FIS congress in Reykjavik on June 4. Korkatti and other key players of the MM project have familiarized themselves with the draft contract sent by FIS and found it impossible to sign it in this situation and under these conditions.
– In this situation, I will not comment on the details of the draft contract, said Korkatti.
He said that the Ski Federation hopes that the FIS will bring a new, more favorable and less risky contract draft to Iceland.
– I will continue to emphasize that we want to organize the games in principle.
The International Ski Federation and especially its Swedish president, who is characterized as autocratic by Johan Eliasch there has been a lot of news about the activity recently. The operating method of FIS is e.g. has angered a number of the biggest ski sports countries, who have united to form their own group called Snowflake.
– I have been following the news, but this internal political situation of FIS is not related to the issue. It’s all about our own starting points.
The city council of Lahti decided on Monday that the Ski Association does not have to repay its debts to the city of Lahti until May 31, 2029. At that time, the debt capital is to be paid off in full. Before that time, interest is paid on the debt. Lahti’s financial failure at the World Cup 2017 is partly related to the caution of the Ski Association.
– You have to learn from old mistakes.