The Finnish Olympic Committee is concerned about the impact of possible new interest rate restrictions on sport. The number of licensed athletes has dropped by as much as 20,000 over the three-month follow-up period.
In Finns sports clubs are in great distress. Now we are not talking about the financial clubs of hockey, which are also in big financial trouble, but about the extent of the sport as a whole.
The coronavirus pandemic, which lasted almost two years, will begin to destroy Finnish sports infrastructure, and then the effects will be much greater than the economic figures alone show.
Chairman of the Olympic Committee Jan Vapaavuori said on Monday that exercise for children and young people must be secured even if society is full of restrictions.
“We challenge all decision-makers to support keeping sports venues open,” Vapaavuori said, stressing that physical activity affects more than a million people and, above all, young people.
Vapaavuori emphasized keeping children’s indoor sports venues open, but also highlighted adults.
“In addition to children and young people, it would be important in all situations to assess the possibility of keeping adult indoor sports facilities open, which, according to many studies, are very low-risk activities and can be organized in a way that is safe for health.”
Free mountain is concerned about chairing the umbrella organization, the Olympic Committee, but there is the greatest need on the ground. He emphasized the introduction of restrictions in the right order and their proportionality.
“Citizens’ sense of justice does not accept that the hobbies of children and young people are being caught up, while at the same time many other things that are certainly more damaging to the spread of the corona in society are open.”
The number of licenses required for competitive sports has also fallen.
The number of licenses for the 64 sports federations and about 130 sports that use the Finland Sport service fell by as much as 41 per cent during the previous corona lock, ie about 20,000 enthusiasts in the three-month comparison period.
“Some of the big sports, such as football and gymnastics, are missing from the figures, so the real drop is even bigger,” said the Olympic Committee Jaana Tulla says.
In sports the so-called drop-out phenomenon is familiar, in which children stop engaging in hobbies as interest in new things or other reasons.
“We recognize the phenomenon, but before that the drop-out age was 12 years, but now that corresponding age is ten years,” Tulla said.
According to Customs, the new and strict restrictions would mean that an even larger number of children would be left out of the hobby.
“And the big number doesn’t start at all.”
Sports clubs, regardless of sport, are very cramped and many may face bankruptcy.
“How can small groups not be allowed in a large sports hall to carry out carefully controlled activities whose health benefits are significant and unquestionably researched?”
Hockey Chief Operating Officer of Mestis Olli Aro highlighted the seriousness of the situation for clubs and their own species.
Many Mestis clubs operate in small localities where they are major players in their area. Wages and compensation are low, but they are also at risk.
“The operation is genuinely under threat. We have a pay delay and subsequent wages are at risk. Equity has been ingested and cash flow is empty, ”Aro said.
“Quick decisions are needed to get the government involved in the work and to compensate the clubs for the losses caused by the business ban.”
Tampereen Pyrint Executive Director Elisa Hakanen emphasized that the registered association does not live on grants but on activity.
“The most important thing is to be able to keep the operation going,” Hakanen said, adding that during the pandemic, the grip on volunteers may come loose.
Volunteering is one of the most important parts of the Finnish sports field, and activities in many places do not run well without them.
“Not only have we lost enthusiasts, we have lost the parents of enthusiasts.”
Hakanen gave a much-talked-about example of cheerleading, where Pyrinnö had more than 800 enthusiasts in the spring of 2020 before the start of the corona pandemic, but now only about 500.
The drop is large, but at worst, the number of enthusiasts would be as high as 350.
Read more: Sports clubs are snaked on the recommendation to stop the indoor hobbies of children and young people: “It’s hard to see what this will achieve”
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