Teammate lashes out at the Olympic stars after their exit from the national team. Discontent is simmering behind the scenes ahead of the Olympic season.

It was recently confirmed that Olympic stars Kerttu and Iivo Niskanen will not train with the Finnish national team this season. The sibling duo has chosen to follow their own training program until the World Cup premiere on home soil at the end of November.

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The superstars’ departure from the Ski Association’s training camps and joint sessions has made national team colleague Johanna Matintalo furious. She believes they are behaving selfishly and without solidarity.

“When Kerttu was young and new to the game, she probably gained a lot from training with older and more experienced athletes. But now that she’s in that position herself, she’s unwilling to give anything back to the younger ones or contribute,” Matintalo told Finnish media.

The 28-year-old has competed in two Winter Olympic Games and five World Championships so far in her career and is now preparing for her 13th season at the top level.

This past winter, Matintalo struggled with a series of injuries. Nevertheless, she finished 10th in the 10-kilometer race at the World Championships in Trondheim and was part of the Finnish relay team that placed fourth.

Simmering discontent

Matintalo is not the first to accuse the national team stars of being selfish. Ahead of the 2024/2025 season, Sprint World Cup winner Jasmi Joensuu also criticized the stars who chose to remain outside the national team setup.

One of the reasons several athletes have chosen to follow their own path is that they don’t think the national team’s offerings are good enough.

In recent seasons, the Association has drastically cut back on training camps and eliminated high-altitude training. But according to Matintalo, things are better now.

Weak economy

The Finnish Ski Association has struggled financially for several years. Before the past season, they also introduced participation fees for athletes selected for World Cup races. Now, athletes must pay several thousand out of their own pockets every weekend to compete in the World Cups.

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