National Team Coach Ville Maunuksela Opens Up About Surprising Decision – "Spring 2026 Was a Common Goal"

Ville Maunuksela, who was appointed as the head coach for the women's cross-country ski team in 2023, received surprising news earlier this week regarding his position. The Finnish Ski Association announced that he would not be offered a contract extension beyond the following spring, which coincides with the Milan 2026 Olympics.

When hired, Maunuksela was given the spring 2026 as a common goal to strive towards alongside head coach Teemu Pasanen and sprint coach Ville Oksanen. However, the current challenges within the women's team, particularly the lack of a structured training culture, have prompted the association to make this decision.

"If I consider the preseason preparations, I was not satisfied and could have anticipated this decision based on that. However, the competition season went much better," Maunuksela acknowledged.

He expressed his confidence that the Finnish Ski Association will appoint another qualified individual to continue the work with the national women’s team, emphasizing that there is much work to be done.

Maunuksela plans to continue his involvement in skiing coaching in a new role, stating, "Coaching still interests me a lot, and I want to be of benefit to Finnish skiing, especially in Finland due to family circumstances."