broadcasts Paavo Nurmi’s track and field competitions on Tuesday at Areena at 4:35 p.m., on TV2 at 6:00 p.m. and on radio Puhee at 4:30 p.m.
The probability that a prestigious athletics medalist will walk along the banks of Turku’s Aurajoki these days is high. The annual Paavo Nurmi Games are held today, and the list of athletes is the most famous in the history of the competition.
Managing director Jari Salonen however, a few last-minute omissions are disappointing. Olympic champion By Neeraj Chopraworld champion Johannes Vetter and EC bronze medalist Lassi Etelätalo the withdrawals from the men’s javelin competition have been hard knocks.
– The last couple of absences during the past week have been significant. Still, the roster is wider than ever before and we have dozens of prize medalists. It seems pretty clear that we will set our all-time points total. It is important because the competition organizers compare their ranking points, says Salonen.
PNG, which belongs to the Continental Tour Gold series of the International Athletics Federation (World Athletics), was last season the 19th hardest athletics competition in the world in terms of distributed ranking points. Above were all 13 competitions of the highest level, i.e. the Diamond League, and five competitions of the Gold series.
The Gold series saw the light of day in terms of events in the difficult corona summer of 2020.
– The level of athletics globally is huge, there have been more competitions. As a founding member of the Gold series, I have been a little worried that there will be quite a lot of competitions. I would hope that the growth of the series would be kept in check. There should not be too many competitions at the top level. I hope for some brakes there, says Salonen.
The organizers of PNG said a decade ago that they were aiming for promotion to the Diamond League, but the main series status has not yet been achieved.
– Yes, we have that as a dream. That’s the direction we’re going, but it’s not an obsession for us. No rush, says Salonen.
Murto: “That would be really cool”
Pole vault European champion Wilma Murron according to the Diamond League and Gold League competitions, there is no striking difference.
– It really depends on the race. The Diamond League competitions are different from each other. Some are well organized and some a little less well organized. Yes, PNG compares very well even to the very good Diamond League competitions in terms of its arrangements. But I bet the best Gold leagues are better than the worst Diamond leagues. Yes, they are starting to be quite close to each other already, says Murto.
Also a triple jump SE female Kristiina Mäkelä says that the arrangements at the Paavo Nurmi Games are top-notch.
– From the athlete’s point of view, if you look at it, the Diamond League is more prestigious and you get more ranking points. I don’t know more about the difference in the prize money system, but the Diamond League has slightly bigger prize money. I don’t notice any difference from the competition itself to the Diamond League, says Mäkelä.
Both Mäkelä and Murto, who lives in Turku, consider it not only desirable but also realistic that a Diamond League competition would still be organized in Finland.
– For sure, that athlete coverage would be even tougher if there was Diamond League status. It would be really cool if PNG was in the Diamond League. Whether it would change the way I compete or whether it would affect my life in a big way, not necessarily. But it would be a great merit and a great way to get athletes to Turku in the summer. Yes, I would be happy about that, Murto smiles.
What would it take to rise?
According to Managing Director Jari Salonen, the Diamond League dream is present more than ever in the internal discussions of Paavo Nurme’s competition organization. Discussions have been held with the International Athletics Federation, the management of the Diamond League and the City of Turku.
– Yes, we have expressed our interest, but we do not have an application. We have been negotiating that if there is an unexpected situation, we will be at the fair. Our current line is that we are ready if the invitation goes. Yes, we are quite excited about this, says Salonen.
According to Salonen, promotion to the Diamond League would naturally require more money. The athlete budget should be doubled from the current half of a million to about a million. The money would also be used for renovations and repairs of the Turku sports park.
However, the biggest obstacle in PNG’s journey to the Diamond League competition is not necessarily money. Although the series is not actually closed, according to Salonen, new members will not be accepted unless new money is brought in at the same time. Poland joined last year as if by flight.
– The small problem is that the series is quite strongly focused on Europe and WA wants to expand to different continents. It may not be realistic that the next Diamond League competition is again from Europe. But of course the world is changing and even in this environment, competitions sometimes come and go.
World Athletics has reformed the Diamond League in recent years in order to make the concept faster and more entertaining for the spectators. Due to the tight schedule, some sports are shown very little on TV. The Diamond League’s international TV direction has been criticized as too focused on running.
Jari Salonen, who recognizes himself as a rather conservative follower of athletics, says that he understands the criticism related to the weighting of sports, but also WA’s reasoning behind the reforms.
– It should be so that the concept appeals to people other than “heavy users” of athletics. The good thing about the gold series is that World Athletics has given the competition organizer the independence to put together and direct the sports program. Together with , we can see what is shown and what is not shown.
It would be a shame if the program of the Diamond League competition held in Finland did not include, for example, a traditional Finnish sport, the men’s javelin. Salonen would not want to compromise on the top national sports if promotion to the main league becomes relevant in the next few years.
– It would be a tough place if the sports program was so dictated that we wouldn’t be able to take those teething sports. Then you might think that this is not a good thing. It is important that the most interesting sports of the host country are in the program so that the citizens and the media of that country are interested. In itself, it would seem strange to act against it, Salonen reflects.