Nordic Combined Team Canada Gets Much-Needed Support From Finland
September 17, 2015 ¾ Calgary, Alberta
After years of struggling for local recognition and sponsorship, Canada’s national Nordic Combined team has found support from a faraway friend-Finland.
“Finnish Know-How”, a collection of like-minded technology, product and clothing companies in Finland, is lending a supporting hand to help our Canadian athletes train towards success at the World Nordic Ski Championships to be held in Lahti, Finland, in 2017.
The connection comes via Jouni Kahkonen, a Finnish ski jumping and Nordic combined coach recently hired and brought to Canada by Alberta Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined (ASJNC).
Kahkonen’s wife, Rikka, has been working alongside Kakhonen to build an impressive list of product and service sponsors in Finland.
“This project also involves a Finnish media company, Topline Media,” says Andy Mah, Chair of Nordic Combined Canada.
“They’ve been producing a steady stream of videos that have been shared on social media. The Finns have shown great interest in our athletes, now dubbed ’Nordic Combined Team Canada’, as they train for the 2017 world championships and hopefully continue towards the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Korea and beyond.
Mah feels the support from Finland is well-timed. “This helps our sport and continues to reinforce the need to maintain our development programs and facilities as momentum grows.”
Canada’s Nordic Combined and ski jumping teams are located in and the athletes train at Canada Olympic Park (COP) in Calgary. Development programs start with athletes as young as six years old.
Other development locations include legacy facilities from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver located at Whistler Olympic Park.
In Alberta, ASJNC is in the process of establishing development programs at Canmore Nordic Centre and Camrose in Alberta.
Canada has participated in ski jumping and Nordic combined at the Olympic Winter Games since 1928.
Today, both sports are challenged by the lack of amateur sport funding for the athletes to train, travel and compete as well as by the ever-increasing costs to maintain our ski jump facilities at COP in Calgary, the only facility of its kind in Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Tom Reid
Chair, Ski Jumping Canada
Cell: 403-669-0630
Email: tom_reid@avivacanada.com
