The Olympic Committee sought new strength for the elite sports unit.
Tommi Pärmäkoski will join the Olympic Committee. Tomi Natri/AOP
The Finnish Olympic Committee announced four recruitments on Monday.
The positions of top sports managers were appointed Liisa Ahlqvist-Lehkosuo, Toni Roponen, Tommi Pärmäkoski and Juha Sten. Head of the elite sports unit Matti Heikkinen by the deadline, 77 applications were received for the positions in the open application.
– The group of applicants was of a high standard and the applicants had plenty of evidence of successful operations at the international level of requirements. We were able to choose four excellent people, but I also want to thank everyone else who applied for the position. The application process showed that there is a large group of experts in Finnish top sports, with mutual cooperation it is possible to achieve international success, says Heikkinen, according to the Olympic Committee’s press release.
The selected persons will start their position as top sports manager on January 1, 2023. In addition, the elite sports unit has previously hired two part-time elite sports managers as direct recruitment. Lauri Hakala and Mika Vakkuri started their work with 50% work input on 1.11. from Hakala works as a top sports representative in team games and Vakkuri in Paralympic sports.
Under Roponen’s former protector
The best-known names among top sports officials are Pärmäkorki and Roponen.
Pärmäkoski is perhaps best known for his coaching work in formula one, where he has worked Sebastian Vettel’s in the background. The employers of the bachelor of physical sciences are widely from the sports field: Pelicans of Lahti (2016–20), Tappara of Tampere (2012-), Kuortanene sports college (2006–), karting world champion Tuukka Taponenthe women’s national ice hockey team and the men’s national volleyball team.
Toni Roponen, who was consulted as Yle’s skiing expert this season, is Matti Heikkinen’s former coach. In addition to skiing coaching, Roponen has worked as the principal of Virpiniemi Sports College and the CEO of Tanhuvaara Sports College. The man spent the years 2019–21 with his family in the United States in Denver, where he was the head coach of the local university’s cross-country team. Ropose also has experience as the head coach of the biathlon team (2002–05) and as the head of sports marketing at Polar Electro (2008–15).
Liisa Ahlqvist-Lehkosuo is a Master of Science in Engineering and a professional coach who has previously worked, e.g. As the top sports director of the Finnish Gymnastics Association in 2014-2020 and as the head coach of the Vantaa Gymnastics Club in 2005-2012. He has also worked as an expert of the Finnish Olympic Committee’s Top Sports Unit in the competition processes of the Tokyo Olympics and the Lucerne Winter Universiade in 2021.
Juha Sten is a master’s in education and a professional coach, who most recently coached the HBA boys’ team and was the head coach of the youth national basketball teams 2020-2022. Before that, Sten was the head coach of Kataja Basket’s Basketball League team 2018-2020. In his own playing career, Sten played eight years as a professional in Finland, Sweden, Germany and Spain and recorded 31 international matches for men.
Source: Bulletin of the Olympic Committee
Toni Roponen, who worked as Iltalehti’s skiing expert, gets to collaborate with his former coach Matti Heikkinen. Elle Nurmi