The head of the Olympic Committee’s elite sports unit works remotely with his family in Oslo.
Matti Heikkinen is the head of the elite sports unit of the Olympic Committee. Henri Kärkkäinen
The head of the elite sports unit of the Olympic Committee Matti Heikkinen39, the action has heated up feelings among the decision-makers of Finnish sports federations.
Heikkinen will work remotely in Oslo for weeks in the spring summer of 2023.
Many domestic sports influencers find it quite strange that top Finnish sports are managed from Norway. For example, Heikkinen was not present at the Olympic Committee’s spring meeting on Tuesday, but he followed it remotely.
– Yes, Finnish elite sports are managed by the Olympic Committee. If there is an acute situation related to the matter, pick up the phone and talk, says the CEO of the Olympic Committee Taina Susiluotowho is Heikkinen’s predecessor.
Matti Heikkinen’s trip to Norway is joined by his spouse Suvi Heikkinen researcher exchange at an Oslo educational institution.
– He combines both family and work. We had a normal conversation with the supervisor and the employee before he went there. Many of us work remotely.
Susiluoto says that Heikkinen will be physically present in Finland on June 6 at the Olympic Committee’s press conference, where the situational picture of domestic elite sports and the support decisions for winter sports will be told.
Local jobs in Norway
Oslo is a place close to Matti Heikkinen. He won the 15 km traditional skiing World Cup gold in the capital of Norway in 2011. Kari Kuukka
According to Susiluoto, Heikkinen has three concrete tasks in the fjord region.
– He goes to see how competitive sports for children and young people are organized in Norway. In addition, he gets to know the arrangements of the local para-gym and para-sports as well as the Norwegian elite sports system.
Heikkinen, a Bachelor of Commerce, started in his current job in the summer of 2022, a good three years after the end of his skiing career.
Before the gig in Norway, he has operated far away from his home in Jyväskylä.
Several background interviewees for this article described that the ex-skier used to be an influence on the wallpaper, but now he has completely disappeared from the radar.
– I haven’t received any credibility problem questions. We have received fresh feedback from the sports federations in the meetings of the presidents and executive directors: regarding the elite sports unit Matti from Heikkinen, Leena from Paavolainen and there has been positive feedback from the new top sports managers, says Susiluoto.
In the top sports unit led by Heikkinen, they started on January 1, 2023 Liisa Ahlqvist-Lehkosuo, Juha Sten, Toni Roponen and Tommi Pärmäkoski.
Heikkinen’s answer
Taina Susiluoto is the CEO of the Olympic Committee. Henri Kärkkäinen
Heikkinen says that he and his family have been in Oslo since May. The gig continues for a few more weeks.
– This project started last summer before my current job. Puoliso works at the University of Economics in positions related to assistant professorship, Heikkinen comments.
– An international perspective is a good thing. Yes, it refreshes your own thinking, he adds.
Do you think remote management is justified?
– It reeks of questioning in the same way as when my first child was born. 99.9 percent of people said it’s not good for an elite athlete. Still, I achieved my best results as a family, Heikkinen begins.
– Of course it’s valid if things are taken care of. Things have changed permanently in terms of work tasks. A lot of top Finnish sports take place outside the capital region and the competition field is somewhere other than Finland. You have to get away from inter-members and understand the level of demands of international sports. That’s why it’s good to look at it closely, the 2011 skiing world champion specifies.
How do you feel about criticism?
– Without further ado, I value personal feedback. If there is criticism of me as a person or my work, you can always get in touch. I react to those signals.