Ski bosses praised each other in Trondheim – then Finland's young coach spoke up: "We are being lied to"

Ville Maunuksela got tired of the mutual praise during the team leaders' meeting in the World Championships in Trondheim. The treatment of the women's team in the Paris sprint still stung deeply.

Pekka Holopainen

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In international skiing competitions, the team leaders' meeting typically takes place in the evenings where teams prepare for the next day's events, share lineups, and discuss current issues.

Usually present are coaches from the teams and any sport leaders, the FIS competition management, the jury council, and representatives of the local organization committee.

The atmosphere deflated

FIS cross-country skiing committee chairman, Slovenian Uros Ponikvar, praised the technical arrangements of the skiing event from the ground up, with the majority of meeting participants joining in the praise.

However, the enthusiastic atmosphere shifted abruptly after the thanks when Finland's national team coach Ville Maunuksela, participating remotely through Teams, sent a message on the screen: "I disagree". Every participant saw it.

Maunuksela confirmed this information to Yle Sports.

– When the jury's conduct during the championships was praised as completely fantastic, I wanted to express that it has not been completely as fantastic, Maunuksela, 35, says.

The jury, or the jury council, is led by the FIS cross-country skiing competition manager Michal Lamplot. The Czech wanted to know why Maunuksela felt this way.

– I especially highlighted our views on the women’s Paris sprint event, which Oksanen Ville already clearly presented to Lamplot on competition day (Wednesday). The conditions for track preparation and patrolling did not proceed as the jury has publicly claimed. It annoys me that we are being lied to, Maunuksela emphasizes.

The wound is still open

Maunuksela added that the discussion was had on Friday with a tone of respect and that primarily the sport leadership and local organizers performed adequately under extremely varying and challenging weather conditions.

However, the treatment of Finland’s top sprint duo Kerttu Niskanen - Jasmi Joensuu has not been forgotten in just a few days. Their performance during the time trial was a catastrophe, resulting in a 14th place due to the track being significantly slowed by heavy rain during their run.

– The jury said that track patrol would have properly opened up the track for them, even though not a single eyewitness observation supports that view.

The gauges at red

The 14th place in the time trial earned Finland an exceptionally rear starting position in the finals, which was a location far from ideal from the perspective of improving their positions.

– This, in turn, meant that Jasmi had to lead off her first leg in the red zone, which accumulates and affects the competition as it progresses.

Maunuksela reminds that the physical and mental energy burned during the time trial would have been crucial for the final race.

– Our criticism of the jury regarding that competition does not mean that we claim that their actions cost us a medal. Even if we had reached the final with a front-row starting position, we could have faced a stick-breaking incident.

– But this meant that our duo could not compete for a medal on equal terms with anyone else.

"We would have settled for less"

In hockey matches, it's not uncommon for a referee to admit to the head coach after the game that they misinterpreted some controversial situation, and life goes on. Ville Maunuksela would have appreciated something similar from Lamplot's task force.

– Perfection cannot be achieved, but it would have sufficed for us if they had at least acknowledged that a mistake occurred, expressed apologies, and moved on.