A strange series of events on the radio broadcast started with the host’s over-the-top talk.
Janne Saarinen plans to write Finnish sports history and qualify for the Olympics as a luger. PDO
Standard host of Radio Suomipop’s Wednesdays Janne Saarinen promises to become an Olympic athlete. He set his goals for the 2026 Winter Olympics live, after he had first talked about the Finnish national luge team and the level of the sport.
Saarinen believes that he would have the best chances for the Olympic Games if he becomes a luger.
In luge, you compete in teams of two or four people. PDO
– You wouldn’t need to push the helmet on your head. If a Finn were to go to the Olympics, there would definitely be precious metal as return mail. Olympic Committee, if you’re listening, send a sled here to the studio. I’m going to get a medal from Italy in three years. It’s not that difficult, the presenter stated.
The message didn’t just reach the Olympic Committee, but the recently revived Finnish national luge team. The broadcast took a new turn with a phone call where the chairman of the Finnish Sledging Association spoke on the other end of the line Jani Tilvis.
– We are at a training camp in Sigulda, Latvia. I thought we’d talk, if you’re interested in talking, we’re here, Tilvis said on the broadcast and offered the radio personality a place in the team.
Tilvis was so convinced by Saarinen’s words that he already envisioned medal positions when he joined the team. However, he warned that success requires a lot more than catchphrases.
– It could even be you who gets the first medal. If you’re serious about making a commitment, there’s a small chance that you’ll make it to the Olympics in three years. You have to train like crazy and not imagine that this is a sledding hill where you go down and get a medal.
Dismayed by the rapid development of the situation, Saarinen promised Tilvis that he would look into plane tickets to Latvia, where Finnish sledders usually train. He stated that after the work week he would have the opportunity to travel to the camp.
Finland has never had a luger at the Olympics, but Saarinen vowed live to change that. There are three categories in luge at the Olympics: luge, steer luge and skeleton.
– From this moment on, I, Janne Seppo Uolevi Saarinen, belong to the Finnish national luge team and aim for the 2026 Olympics as the first Finnish luge player. This is no longer a package deal.
The next Winter Olympics will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.