In an open letter published by Helsingin Sanomat, four Finnish athletes at the Paris Olympics admit that the results were disappointing. The games ended a 116-year medal streak for Finland in Summer Olympics.
They welcomed the fact that also the organisations that tasked with supporting athletes have come under scrutiny in the aftermath of the Paris Olympics.
The athletes reveal that many of their compatriots complained during the games about the lack of a spirit of collaboration and the solitude upon their arrival to the Olympics.
“The team’s management did not seem to be at all interested in cheering on the athletes before or after their event. Athletes whose event had ended and who could have supported and cheered on other athletes from Finland were quickly sent home.
”The Finnish Olympic Committee has utterly failed to instil a culture of winning into its operations, the athletes argued.
“It seemed to be more important for the management and personnel to entertain heads of state, other important guests or even their own family members,” the athletes say.
Finland, they added, has failed to move on from outdated and ineffective practices in elite sports and insists that such practices will somehow deliver better and different results. In reality, though, achieving success at the international level requires “continuous re-evaluation” and “courage” to change practices that are not producing results.“With an approach like this, we are not progressing but falling constantly further and further behind other countries,” the athletes said.
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