Mika tells what Saudi Arabia is like-the sight on the streets surprised

Finnish coach Mika Järvinen56, surprised in Saudi Arabia.

Järvinen was hired in Saudi Arabia as head coach of athletics, founded by the Ministry of Sports of the State. He moved to Riyadh, a million city in early February.

The background is Saudi Arabia’s strong sports reports. The state will host the World Cup in 2034 and will host the F1 competition for the fifth time this weekend.

For the first time in Järvinen, there were both nasty and positive surprises.

– I had to have the apartment ready. It was not considered me because I was not signing contracts, says Järvinen.

Tente -Matches Triple World Champion Tomáš dvořák Järvinen, who coached in the past years, could have cost 200 euros per night for two weeks of apartment hotel accommodation. The option felt heavy for the wallet.

The Finnish coach received a place to stay at the Brazilian pilot at the Academy of Academy.

– I slept on the floor of their living room for four weeks. The coach’s wife made food and washed my laundry, but it was a relief to get to her own apartment after a month.

Currently, Järvinen shares a two bedroom apartment with his Australian colleague. About half of the Academy coaches come from outside Saudi Arabia.

After starting difficulties, the work has started to roll.

– The scenery and people are a bit different than in Finland, but my own life has not been terribly changed here.

At night to practice

Saudi Arabia’s conquest is Islam. According to the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the country is in use by the Šaria Act, and religion is reflected in everyday activities.

Religion influenced the exercises led by Järvinen, which were moved from the afternoon to the night due to the Ramadan fasting in Islam.

– People were able to eat in the evening, rested for a moment and the exercises started at 9 pm. The exercises were over before midnight. From the point of view of sports, the rhythm changes are not sensible, but we went according to what was prescribed.

According to Järvinen’s experience, the five prayers of the day are accurate.

– Prayers are done more closely than in Qatar. The coaches are tight on their schedule.

Cheerful surprises

Originally, the Finnish pilot was supposed to coach boys aged 11-17 in Saudi Arabia. A positive surprise came to light: about half of the coaches are girls.

– I quickly noticed that training is working as in Finland. Laughs, jokes and greeted.

Arab culture was not entirely alien to Järvinen as he coached in Qatar in 2004-05 at the Doha Academy of Athletics. When he arrived in Saudi Arabia, he carefully pondered local habits and, for example, the coverage of his clothes.

Men are recommended to wear long trousers and covering shirts. Shorts are advised to avoid.

– I noticed that some of my athletes still came to workouts in shorts and there were racing cyclists on the street. I thought that maybe I dare to go to practice and back in shorts on a hot day.

Since early 2018, women have not been forced to use hair and face-covering a veil or an abaya compilation of the body, as long as the appearance is otherwise modest.

– I have seen local women in malls without a veil, with a veil and so that only eyes are visible. There are also many women in driving a car or alone in malls, says Järvinen.

Saudi Arabia gave women the right to drive in 2018. Järvinen is pleased with the improvement of the status of women and girls.

There is still something to do. According to the UN report in Saudi Arabia Index of Earth Gender Equality It was 0.741 in 2011, when 0 means full equality between a man and a woman and 1 weaker positions on all meters. The index has taken into account working life, reproductive health and sovereignty.

In 2022, Saudi Arabia was 0.229. So there has been a development, but the Finnish index in 2022 was 0.032.