Ski World Cup Selections Raise Eyebrows – Finnish Coach Proposes an Attractive Suggestion

Yle shows the ski competitions of the World Cup in Lillehammer on its channels. The broadcast on TV2 and the Yle Arena starts at 11:25 with the men's 10-kilometer free technique race.

The Cross-Country Skiing World Cup season continues this week in Lillehammer, Norway. On Saturday, there will be free style sprints, and Finland has six athletes ready to compete in both the women's and men's races.

In Lillehammer, there will also be free interval competitions and combination races. The men's competitors include Lauri Lepistö, Emil Liekari, Remi Lindholm, Niilo Moilanen, Joni Mäki, Iivo Niskanen, Eero Rantala, Arsi Ruuskanen, and Lauri Vuorinen.

Among them, Vuorinen, Mäki, Moilanen, Liekari, and Rantala are recognized sprint specialists. The sixth spot is likely to be filled by other athletes primarily focused on distance events.

Electrofit's founder Simo-Viljami Ojanen expressed his dissatisfaction with the current situation.

"We need to find a solution quickly on how we can always fill all spots. Athletes want to ski professionally. If six spots are open, they should all be filled with the best possible skiers. If not otherwise, then at least self-funded," Ojanen, who also acts as a coach, stated.

Electrofit has several good skiers, including Lepistö, Juuso Haarala, Tiia Olkkonen, Vilma Nissinen, Wiljam Mattila, Markus Vuorela, and Verneri Suhonen.

Mattila has been in good sprinting form since the start of the season. He impressed last weekend at the World Cup in Ruka, finishing eighth in the classic sprint qualification round.

Ojanen proposed to the Ski Federation that they cover the expenses for a sixth sprinter from his team. In this scenario, the athlete in question would be a team member. He did not wish to name the skier who he believes deserves the sixth sprinting spot. The Ski Federation did not agree to this suggestion.

"If our athlete were to be the sixth in Lillehammer, we would be ready to pay for a coach, accommodation, and travel. We just want to get a guy on the starting line so he can show what he can do," Ojanen added.

A month ago, the Vuokatti Cup included a selection race for the Lillehammer sprint. Rantala won the free sprint there and is participating in Lillehammer.

However, Vuorinen, Mäki, Moilanen, and Liekari did not take part in that competition. Among the Finnish sprinting talent, Ike Melnits finished second, Olli Ahonen third, and Mattila fourth.

"Vuorinen, Moilanen, and Mäki have shown their capabilities, but everyone else needed to show their free sprinting skills earlier this season. Last year's performances shouldn't weigh too heavily on their selection," Ojanen remarked.

According to the selection criteria of the Ski Federation, earlier performances in the World Cup during the previous winter are also significant. Mäki reached the finals in Lahti's free sprint last season, while Vuorinen made it to the semi-finals twice in that same technique.

Yle Sports analyst Kalle Lassila emphasizes the importance of valuing head-to-head comparisons of athletes in competitions as close to the selection date as possible.

"On the other hand, a very strong basis is if an athlete has previously demonstrated competitive international potential in those distances. If they managed to ski top ten last season, they should be given a chance."

Lassila believes it's a valid question why not all spots were filled for the free sprints. He personally would have liked to see Mattila, who succeeded in the Ruka World Cup, competing in Lillehammer.

"Clearly he has progressed in classical. Last season in the free events, he wasn’t far from good placements and continuation spots," Lassila points out.

In the upcoming World Championships in Trondheim, the individual sprint will be held in freestyle technique. In addition to Lillehammer, similar races are scheduled for Davos later this year.

"For Lillehammer, it must be stressed that it's one of those places with a championship-type course," the expert adds.

Electrofit could have thus funded the participation of one of its athletes in Lillehammer's sprint to ensure spots are filled by clear sprinters. However, the Ski Federation did not agree to this approach.

Executive director Marleena Valtasola states that it remains within the coaching staff's hands to make team selections.

"So far, there hasn’t been a practice where financial contributions from outside have led to competitions," she said.

Finland can therefore set a maximum of six athletes for each competition. The Ski Federation's poor financial situation has made it increasingly cautious about filling all six spots for every race.

The challenge is that primarily different athletes compete in sprints and normal distance races, especially among men.

"In theory, this could mean 36 skiers if three different distances have completely different skiers. The budget allowed for 18 athletes, nine men, and nine women," head coach Teemu Pasanen states.

Pasanen reminds that the Lillehammer selections prioritized more sprints. In distance races, there may be only a maximum of four men.

"More personnel ski in sprints, as those are some of the few free sprints before the World Championships."

In the forthcoming World Championships, the ten-kilometer interval start race will be conducted in classic style. When that distance is on the World Cup program, distance skiers will similarly be prioritized.

"Then certainly there will be fewer sprinters and more classical distance skiers," Pasanen states.