The Olympic Committee’s top sports unit distributes 4.223 million euros in enhancement support to summer sports athletes.
Wilma Murto is one of Finland’s biggest medal favorites next summer at the Olympic Games in Paris. PASI LEISMA
The Olympic Committee’s elite sports unit announced on Tuesday that it will allocate 4.223 million euros to summer sports. The supports are individually tailored.
As an example case, this case is brought up Wilma Murto. He receives an enhancement support of 15,000 euros and, in addition, a personal trainer Jarno Koivunen will be able to focus only on his protégé’s Paris Olympic training project from the beginning of 2024.
– Wilma receives individual support and Koivunen can be full-time. This is such a special case that we want to ensure Wilma’s complete preparation for the Paris Games, says the sports group manager of the Olympic Committee’s elite sports unit Toni Roponen.
85 athletes will receive direct enhancement support. For example, in athletics, the amounts are 4,000–15,000 euros per athlete.
– The common thread of support decisions is the international level of requirements and competitiveness. This has been a process lasting the whole autumn, which is done together with the sports, says Leena Paavolainen.
Support decisions have been made through the results data collected by the Olympic Committee’s elite sports unit and the so-called pulse system. Detailed information about athletes has been collected in the system.
– Through the national team programs, more than 100 individual athletes receive support, which means that in total the support includes just under 200 athletes, Paavolainen calculates.
The summer sports enhancement support is a total of about 200,000 euros more than in the previous two years.
As in the previous year, the amount of the intensification support distributed to both winter and summer sports is a total of approximately 6.7 million euros per year.
– The focus has been increased on summer sports because of the Olympic Games in Paris, explains Paavolainen.
Health insurance
Leena Paavolainen will lead the Finnish team at the Summer Olympics in Paris next summer. PASI LEISMA
In addition to the approximately 4.2 million euros in enhancement support for athletes, the Olympic Committee’s elite sports unit announced on Tuesday that it will distribute so-called expert support of approximately one million euros.
In summer sports, a total of 118 coaches receive customized support.
An interesting detail is that the Olympic Committee pays for the health insurance of 57 Finnish summer sports athletes. Its total value is 71,820 euros.
The insurance could be compared to the medical expenses insurance of an “ordinary person” using the example of the iron wire model: the Olympic Committee pays the insurance, and the athlete has a small deductible for possible health care services.
– When Aki Hintsa served as chief physician of the Olympic Committee, he developed the model in question. It has been perceived as a good solution.
Ten seats
Shotgunner Eetu Kallioinen has been on strike during 2023. Pasi Liesimaa
As Iltalehti reported last week, Finland’s medal prediction at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics is 1.75.
During the 2023 season, the top three athletes in their sport are medal favorites in Paris: Burglary, shooting Eetu Kallioinenjudoka Martti Puumalainen and a sailing pair Sinem Kurtby and Central axis.
During the Summer Olympics, the medal forecast prepared by the Olympic Committee’s top sports unit has been at its highest a year ago. In December 2022, the forecast promised Finland 2.45 medals from Paris.
– We should achieve 2 medals and 9 points in Paris in order to fulfill the goal, Paavolainen states.
– Close to the absolute top of the world are wrestlers Arvi Savolainena swimmer Matti Mattssona javelin thrower Oliver Helandera walker Aku Bearden At 20 kilometers and a moukari thrower Silja Kosonen. In addition, more than 20 Finns have been able to reach at least the top-8 level in 2023, he adds.
So far, Finland has secured ten places for the Paris Games. The Olympic Committee will announce the selections next week, but it is likely that all those who have won a place in the competition will be selected.
They are in track and field Viivi LehikoinenMurto, Partanen, Kosonen and Camilla Richardson. In shooting, Kallioinen and Aleksi Leppä. In sailing Kurtbay&Central and Kaarle Tapper.
In addition, Finland has places in cycling for women’s road race and time trial.