Olympics | Teemu Ramstedt’s harsh criticism of competition priest Leena Huovinen: “I wouldn’t be able to trust”

“No build trust by any means.”

This is what the chairman of the Finnish Sportsmen’s Association says Teemu Ramstedt Competition chaplain of the Finnish Olympic team Leena Huovinen of the activity.

And there is more to say. Huovin’s fresh comments, but also the problems of the bigger picture.

In an open letter published anonymously, four Finnish athletes who competed in the Olympics criticized the spirit of the Finnish team as bad. The athletes said that the athletes were left alone in the Games, and the team management was not interested in sports.

Huovinen commented on the letter and the discussion that arose from it Helsingin Sanomat in an interview at the end of August. He says he has seen “much worse”. Huovinen has worked as a chaplain at the Olympics since 2004.

“Real athletes – dare I say it this way – are curious. They are looking for all possible information and support to move them forward. And the performance doesn’t come down to the fact that someone didn’t smile at me,” Huovinen said.

“I’ve noticed that I’m annoyed by people who don’t recognize their own responsibility and their own role.”

Ramstedt criticized several
things in Huovinen’s operations.

“The interview pretty strongly underlined the problem of why the athletes went public anonymously,” says Ramstedt.

“Let’s start distinguishing between real athletes and something else instead of understanding that athletes are different. Everyone is a true athlete. 57 were at the Olympics, and behind them is a large group of more real athletes.”

Ramstedt thinks it is special that Huovinen compares the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and this summer’s Paris Games with each other and brings up previous bad experiences.

“The fact that, in his position, we start comparing the team spirit of Rio and Paris in public, just doesn’t belong to that role.”

“As an athlete myself, I couldn’t trust him anymore. As far as I understand, Huovinen has been an important support for many athletes. It scares me that such statements can affect how he and the position of the race priest in general are viewed in the future.”

Ramstedt calls for clarity on what the task and role of the competition priest is. According to Ramstedt, Huovinen’s role in supporting both the team management and the athletes is not optimal.

“It should be more clear that we only support and side with the athletes. The setting itself is a bit bad and the role obscure. Personally, I would prefer only healthcare professionals.”

“If it is seen that there must be someone separate for the management, then I would make a clear separation.”

Ramstedt also needs clarity on the role of the Olympic Committee. The current balance between elite sports and public health breaks the focus, which can be seen in the everyday life of athletes.

“From the athletes’ point of view, many things are quite unclear in terms of who is responsible for what.”

Ramstedt says that Suomen Urheilijat ry. intends, together with the Olympic Committee’s athletes’ committee, to commission a survey of athletes who have competed in the Olympics in September, so that the range of opinions can be clarified as comprehensively as possible.

In addition to the Olympics, the interest is focused on other experiences and possible grievances.

“I interpret the letter in the sense that the everyday is perhaps such that it rots, at least in part. Usually, these arise from long-term dissatisfaction. It’s less common that it’s just a single event or day.”