Antti Pihlakoski persistently defends the status of the U23 Games.
Antti Pihlakoski sees the under-23 competitions as important for athletes. PASI LEISMA
Seppo Rädyn the under 23-year-old athletics championships, once called a “clown series”, are underway again.
In Espoo, the EC medals for young adults are being talked about, and a familiar question has come up once again: Why does this age group have their own prestigious competitions?
Räty said that the athletes live too long in the “pumule”, when so many different age group competitions are organized for them. Räty would prefer an alternative in which young talents would be thrown into the water and taught to swim in prestigious competitions for adults.
Influential in the board of the European Athletics Association (EA). Antti Pihlakoski watches the events of the Leppävaara stadium with pleasure and wonders about the talks about the abolition of the U23 games.
– In athletics, the problem is not that there are too many competitions, but rather that there are too few of them. We have analyzed what the popularity of the sports is based on, and yes it is based on the fact that the best athletes compete a lot and are featured a lot around the world, says Pihlakoski.
At the under-23-year-old games, the aim is to extend the career duration of track and field athletes. The solution dates back to the 1990s.
– Especially in endurance running, the success of the Europeans began to decline and the athletes quit quite young. We wondered if there was a way to motivate athletes so that they wouldn’t drop out after the age of 19–20.
– There are certainly athletes who, because of this, have continued their careers, blossomed later and even reached prestigious medals in adult competitions.
No account is created
The Espoo Games are not a money grab, but an investment in the future. PDO
Someone could say that the U23 games are a completely pointless event for some of the athletes. There are also numerous top names competing in Espoo, who have already won medals in prestigious competitions for adults as well.
– But they are still here! Yes, the European championship is of interest to the athletes, Pihlakoski defends.
According to Pihlakoski, the European Union invests significantly in the under-23 competitions. You may still have to wait a while for your money’s worth.
– Of course, financially, this is more of an investment than a place of accounting. This is an investment in the future of athletics. The best way to spend money is to develop the activity, and competitions are a key part of that.
Organizing the games is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of volunteers. Despite that, there are those willing to wait in line for years to come.
– There are several applicants for the next games, for example. Oulu seems to be thinking about it too. That they have been found. It hasn’t been terribly laborious, says Pihlakoski.
Sometimes, even in athletics, it has been proposed to combine the U23 and U20 championships under the same event. This has been done, for example, in skiing.
According to Pihlakoski, the proposals have not reached the international federation’s discussions.
– It has not been considered, but it is not an impossible scenario either. But when there are enough athletics fans, if the games can be taken to two different countries, then that is always a better option.
From a different world
Iltalehti’s athletics expert Arto Bryggare considers it special to compare athletics and skiing prestigious competitions.
– In skiing, there are probably 5–6 countries that are competitive. They are very small compared to athletics. They are completely different from the world – especially on a global level, Bryggare points out.
Arto Bryggare highlights the difference between U23 competitions and “paid competitions”. Roni Lehti
Bryggare himself defends the under-23 championships. Like Pihlakoski, he is not worried that there will ever be too many competitions.
– Yes, we do organize ice hockey tournaments between these few countries every month, and no one questions whether it makes any sense. You know who plays in the national teams.
However, the expert also finds one troublesome aspect of the U23 event.
– For those athletes who already have significant success, this race is one more in the backlog of races. And when these are not so-called paid competitions, it is impossible for many professionals to come and participate.
Athletes’ position
And what do the athletes themselves think? The answer seems to be clear: the under-23 competitions have a solid place in the competition calendar.
– I haven’t heard any complaints. Yes, I appreciate the fact that competitions are still held for people our age. However, it is quite a big leap from one of the U20 series directly to the adults, says Moukari star Silja Kosonen, 20.
– I think this is a good competition. Many under 20s still have a few years to develop. These competitions are a big deal for them and for me too. I really like competing in these games, the adult discus European champion Mykolas Alekna, 20, praises.