Anni Saarela
The Sweden match must be renewed, writes Anni Saarela from Stockholm.
The Sweden match was played at Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium. Jussi Saarinen
Fourteen first-class athletes from Finland on the sidelines. No fewer than 18 of the country’s 41 best all-around athletes were missing from Sweden.
At Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium, it became clear that the Sweden match in its current form must be reformed.
Criticism must not be misunderstood. The 98-year-old national match tradition must not be stopped under any circumstances. It should just be updated.
The biggest problem with the national match is the absence of stars, which repels the spectators.
It is understandable that athletes in the Diamond League are interested in prize money, high-level competition and visibility. Still, it cannot be the case that the participation list of the national match weakens significantly just before the h-moment.
Or if it does, the rules and sanctions must be the same for everyone. It’s like a mental middle finger, that someone gets to go to the other side of the world and another competes in the icy North just out of a sense of duty.
Endurance running legend Lasse Virén told Iltalehte on Saturday that in his time, no one wanted to miss a national race that was seen as an honor.
Injuries are injuries, but now the situation is different. Last-minute absences seem to come like mushrooms in the rain.
Armand Duplantis finds the timing of the international match difficult. Jussi Saarinen
The so-called Diamond League clause in the athletes’ contract has been hinted at in the public, but it does not help the Sweden match. The hardest names would be gone – then only with permission.
One idea is to change the time of the national match. The match against Sweden could be moved to the beginning of the season or to the summer.
– This is the hardest and tightest time of the season. Thus, at the end of the season, the biggest competitions are left. It’s not easy, ME pole vaulter Armand Duplantis said on Sunday.
In the fall, many first-tier athletes do not take risks with minor ailments, when it is, to put it bluntly, just an exhibition match in terms of their own bank account and the season as a whole.
A more summery date would surely also appeal to the public. It was so cold in Stockholm on Saturday that many viewers stayed in front of the TV.
New blood is needed in the stands. Jussi Saarinen
At the weekend in Stockholm’s Olympic Stadiums, the only things that were youthful were the athletes and the music. There were very few young adults in the audience.
The organizers of the match should be worried about that.
The impatient social person of the 2020s wants quick entertainment and adrenaline. A two-day event with points calculations is not ideal for that.
A one-day full blast like the Paavo Nurmi Games would perhaps garner more interest. However, then the sports program would have to be pruned with a heavy hand.
The Sweden match will turn one hundred years old in the fall of 2025. Now the fear is that the anniversary year will be as quiet as the baseball game in 2021.
The dusty national match must get the young crowd excited so that the great tradition continues.