Toni Roponen sees silver lining in the upheaval of top sports – predicts remarkable Olympic prospects for Finland

Petteri Kilpinen was elected on Saturday as the new chairman of the Finnish Olympic Committee in a resounding vote, defeating his challenger Tapio Korjus by a large margin of 93 to 38.

The newly elected board members for the next four-year term include Laura Lepistö, Henrik Dettmann, Erkka Westerlund, Esa-Pekka Mattila, Hanna-Mari Aula, Henrika Backlund, Martti Uusitalo, and Katarina Naumanen. In addition to them, the board comprises Finnish IOC member Sari Essayah and Emma Terho, chair of the IOC Athletes' Commission.

The Olympic Committee has faced severe criticism following the disappointing results at the Paris Olympics, where Finland notably finished without any medals for the first time in history, raising concerns among many.

Jan Vapaavuori stepped down, and Petteri Kilpinen will now lead the Olympic Committee. Photo: Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva

Toni Roponen serves as the top winter sports manager at the Olympic Committee. He is remembered in cross-country skiing as the coach of his wife Riitta-Liisa Roponen and world champion Matti Heikkinen. Additionally, he has been the head coach of the Finnish biathlon team.

He is pleased with the new board's composition.
“We have really strong expertise in elite sports and in sports federations. I am confident that the Olympic Committee has a good board that will advance Finnish elite sports as a whole.”

Is this a step towards improvement?
"We always believe there is potential for improvement. Those of us operationally involved work on the ground and trust that strategically, the board will support our efforts," Roponen responds.

Sailors Akseli Keskinen and Sinem Kurtbay did not perform as expected in Paris among Finland's few top athletes. Photo: EPA-EFE / AOP.

"Winning Nation"

Roponen has held his position for nearly two years. During that time, the director of elite sports Matti Heikkinen and the director of sports competition programs Leena Paavolainen have been shown the door.

Jan Vapaavuori announced in early autumn that he would not seek reelection as chairman of the Olympic Committee. Success has not materialized and turbulence surrounds the Committee.

Roponen is pleased that elite sports evoke strong emotions in Finland.

"There has been a lot of turbulence in every direction. It has been interesting to see how much it resonates across all spectrums."

Toni Roponen is the representative for winter sports. He believes Finnish athletes have a solid chance across various sporting categories in Milan. Photo: Tomi Hänninen / Chilipictures.

The elite sports unit and its existence have faced criticism as well. Roponen maintains direct contact with athletes and coaches in his role. He aims to assist sports federations to succeed.

"Through effective support, we can effectively guide resources to top athletes and their coaches. It’s always a process to see how well they and elite athletes succeed."

Finland failed to secure an Olympic medal in Paris. In the previous Winter Games, Finland garnered a total of eight medals, six of which were in cross-country skiing and two in hockey.

"Of course, we need to do things better to succeed in summer Olympics as well. We must find better resources for athletes and develop coaching.

"We need to think about how we can become a more winning nation. This requires a cooperative desire and will from everyone," says Roponen.

Wilma Murto faced challenging circumstances in Paris. Photo: Getty Images

Getting More from Elite Athletes

Criticism has also emerged regarding whether funding euros are directed to the right recipients, meaning athletes and coaches. Roponen believes this has been achieved "very" well and that it has been directed toward different sports.

He believes that the key issue is whether the resources can be utilized as efficiently as possible. According to Roponen, the crucial question is whether training meets international standards.

Martti Puumalainen's potential medal also seemed unlikely in summer 2024. Here he lost to Kokauri in Paris. Photo: Luke Hales/Getty Images

Roponen explains that ultimately, sports federations are responsible for whether the available resources and athletes' potential are maximized. At the Olympics, Finland had a very narrow field of athletes from whom medal expectations could be gleaned.

Among them, the prospects for Martti Puumalainen and Wilma Murto had deteriorated due to various challenges since 2023. At that point, both were at the top of their sports.

The success rate of top athletes at the Olympics was too low.

"We need to ensure the optimal preparation of our top athletes for prestigious competitions. We must turn over every stone to succeed at the right moment."

Roponen discusses prioritization.

"In the new strategy, coaching expertise has been clearly placed at the forefront. We also need to support elite athletes and their processes significantly better to achieve success in the next summer Olympics in Los Angeles."

World Cup-successful freestyle skier Jon Sallinen may belong to Finland's hopes for medals in Milan. Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images.

More Diversity in Milan?

Currently, the focus is on the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. It is not a foregone conclusion that Finland will win medals there.

In cross-country skiing at Beijing, Finnish athletes were allowed to compete at favorable distances, which explained a lot of the sport's substantial six-medal haul.

Roponen believes, however, that looking at the upcoming Olympics, many sports show promising signs. In addition to cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing also has encouraging situations. In alpine skiing, there are finally some glimmers of hope thanks to Eduard Hallberg and Elia Lehto.

Tanja Poutiainen secured an alpine medal in the 2006 Torino Games.

"There have been many successes at the start of the season in various sports. I believe that compared to previous competitions, we have the opportunity to succeed in various winter sports in the upcoming Olympics," Roponen sees.