High jumper Arttu Mattila says that the security guard tore up his and another Finnish athlete’s travel permits. According to the team leader and the safety manager, the matter was agreed upon.
At the European Youth Championships held in Espoo, there was a showdown between the Finnish athletes and the marshal in the evening section of the final day. A high jumper Arttu Mattila and a mortar thrower Oskari Lahtinen tend to watch the women’s height race at the beginning of the evening to the front arch part.
– They asked if we could go and watch the height race at the other end. At the other end there was a sports stand, but nothing could be seen from there. However, he (the warden) was quite against the current. As young boys, we tried ice with a stick.
According to Mattila, the security guard then grabbed Lahtinen’s breasts and tore his sportsman’s passport from his neck.
– Oskar and I started walking away. I said something to the jerk, after which he jerked away my accreditation card as well. After that, he wanted to see our coaching staff.
Endurance running coach Janne Ukonmaanaho witnessed the episode.
– They had apparently thought that they would get in, but the jerks lost their nerves, Ukonmaanaho says.
Ukonmaanaho went to investigate the situation. The warden in question also made rounds towards Ukonmaanaho.
– However, the person in charge of security came to the scene and said he would take the matter into consideration, Ukonmaanaho adds.
The full stands posed a challenge
Finland’s team leader Eeva Kantomäki did not see the situation, but was informed about it. He went to find out the matter at the gate with the warden in question and the representative of the race organizer.
Kantomäki and the safety manager of the Games Matti Sarasmaa they say it was a communication problem.
– It was a pure break in the flow of information. The team was promised access to an area where athletes were not otherwise counted. However, the Finnish team knew the wrong time.
Sarasmaa says that the Finnish team was originally supposed to get to that stand for the start of the women’s javelin competition. The javelin was contested at the end of the evening.
– The orderlies had strict instructions that you shouldn’t be allowed there yet. It was discussed before the team was allowed there. After that, the other teams were also allowed into the front arch and the back stand.
According to Sarasmaa, nothing came out of the incident from either side that would have required further measures.
– I went to talk with the orderly and the race organizer. The matter was resolved and it was agreed upon. The athletes were there with me, says Kantomäki.
The event was sold out in the weekend evenings. According to Sarasmaa, many athletes appealed to the fact that in previous games the athletes had been able to move around the stands relatively freely.
– Now it was a different situation when the stands were sold out. The athletes didn’t really have places. This caused some dissatisfaction among the athletes, why couldn’t they get to a certain part of the stand, explains Sarasmaa.
Finland captured ten medals (three gold, three silver and four bronze) from the under-23 European Championships, ranking seventh in the medal statistics. Great Britain was number one in the medal count (7+3+4=14).