400m hurdler, distance SE woman (54.40) Viivi Lehikoinen missed last weekend’s national track and field match between Sweden and Finland. Lehikoinen decided to travel to China for the Diamond League competition.
At the same time, a discussion began about whether Lehikoinen will receive sanctions. He is one of the contracted athletes of the Finnish Sports Association (SUL). Athletes under the contract receive significant financial coaching support, but the contract also includes obligations to participate in certain national team events, for example.
In the athletes’ contract, there is a certain number of so-called mandatory competitions, in which athletes must participate if they do not have a recent medical certificate of injury or illness. According to the athlete contract, the sanction for breaking the contract is either 50 percent of the coaching support or at least 5,000 euros.
Read more: Pekka Holopainen’s column: Viivi Lehikoinen took a ten-ton risk – the controversial contract partly ruined one season of Finland’s hope for success
SUL made the decision on Thursday
Now SUL announces that it will not sanction Viivi Lehikoinen’s absence from the match against Sweden. The decision was made by SUL’s board on Thursday.
According to the press release, the board stated that the notification of Lehikoinen’s absence came to SUL’s coaching management via email as a unilateral notification, which would meet the hallmarks of a breach of contract, but since it was about participation in the Diamond League competition, a contract fine would not be a reasonable and proportionate sanction for missing the international match.
– Of course, the starting point must always be that the agreements are followed, but considering the whole in this case, the sanction would not be reasonable, stated the chairman of SUL Riikka Pakarinen.
– Agreements and policies will be updated at this time to avoid problems. In order to ensure the equality of athletes, it is also important that such cases are carefully reviewed.
The sports association’s press release states that SUL’s general manager Jani Tanskanen had a conversation with Lehikoinen’s representative at the World Championships in Budapest after receiving the announcement that Lehikoinen will participate in the Diamond League competition in Xiamen on September 2.
– After consideration, I found Lehikoinen’s participation in the Diamond League competition reasonable from the SUL coaching side, despite the overlap. This is because, as the highest competition series in international top athletics, the Diamond League is the level we are aiming for in terms of top sports, Tanskanen says.
Lehikoinen strongly disagrees with SUL’s announcement
After SUL’s announcement, Viivi Lehikoinen published his manager by email Inka Kärkkäinen through his statement regarding SUL’s decision. Lehikoinen strongly criticized the union’s press release on the subject.
– The matter has been agreed in advance with the federation and there has been no ambiguity in the matter between the coaching staff and the athlete. The parties have mutually agreed that, despite the athletes’ contract, there is no problem with participating in the Diamond League and there will be no sanctions, Lehikoinen’s statement reads.
According to Lehikoinen, it is not a breach of contract because, according to him, the parties had reached an agreement on going to the Diamond League before the competition trip. In addition, Lehikoinen criticizes in his statement that the matter has been dealt with without consulting him and in the middle of the season, although according to his statement, Lehikoinen expressed the wish that the matter be dealt with after the season.
Reflection on the equality of athletes
Tanskanen sees that the equality of athletes has not been violated.
– Equality between athletes is realized here so that in a similar situation, every athlete always receives the same consideration from SUL’s coaching management. It is equality, which we will also follow in the future.
Chairman of the Yleuhurheilaijat ry Topias Koukkula emphasizes in the announcement the importance of equal treatment of athletes and the need to update the contracts.
– We think it is important that the agreements are followed and, on the other hand, that they are updated to reflect today. The athletes are ready to be actively involved in this work, says Koukkula.
Story updated at 22:53. Added Lehikoinen’s position on the topic.