Finnish Ski Association faces financial strain after Ruka World Cup cancellations; trust issues with local organizer

The Finnish Ski Association’s board has reviewed the financial problems arising from the Ruka World Cup and announced a crisis of confidence involving the local organizing partner, Kuusamon Eräveikot.

According to CEO Marleena Valtasola, the federation’s financial situation is serious after exceptional weather disrupted the Ruka weekend (28–30 November). One ski jumping competition and one Nordic combined competition were canceled, and another ski jumping competition was cut to just one round. The cancelations will cause major revenue losses this fiscal year and weaken the result, on a scale not seen since 2015.

Chair Sirpa Korkatti said efforts to stabilize the federation’s finances are ongoing. With negative equity, the federation has a limited capacity to absorb losses. Despite a currently stable cash position, the federation has already started negotiations for additional funding.

Trust issues

Valtasola emphasized that the trust deficit with Kuusamon Eräveikot does not stem from a single weekend but from broader difficulties in building a workable cooperation model. She cited Lahti as an example where it took years to establish a functional model that now runs smoothly.

The federation and Kuusamon Eräveikot have sought an equal structure in which both are involved in organizing the event and sharing responsibilities and risks. The organizing responsibility lies with Ruka Nordic Oy, owned 51% by the federation and 49% by Eräveikot.

Over €1 million in federation funding

The Finnish Ski Association finances the Ruka World Cup event with more than one million euros and bears the largest financial risk. The aim has been to reduce the financial burden on a single club for a million‑euro‑scale event. According to Valtasola, the club found the financial risk too great, which is understandable, and the federation tried to reduce it. However, the greater challenge has been adhering to agreed procedures and operating in line with the cooperation agreement.

She added that following agreed practices has proved very difficult, with attention drifting to secondary issues, such as shifting invoices, instead of core operations. The federation will first discuss proposed improvements to the cooperation model with Kuusamon Eräveikot and the City of Kuusamo before making them public. Valtasola said she prefers the simplest, most straightforward operating models to minimize ambiguities.