Coach kicked out of Olympics: "I apologize to everyone"
The Finnish national jumping team will continue its adventure at the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina without coach Igor Medved: the man has been sent back to his homeland and will be replaced by Lasse Moilanen, supported by the women’s team coach Ossi-Pekka Valta and the Finnish Ski Federation sports director Petter Kukkonen.
This is the note released through official channels:“The coach of the Finnish ski jumping team, Igor Medved, has been expelled from the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina for behavior that violates the rules and values of the Finnish team”.
“Medved returned home today – said Janne Hänninen, director of the Finnish team. “We take the violation of team rules seriously and have taken prompt action”.
“I made a mistake and I am very sorry. I want to apologize to the whole Finnish team, to the athletes and also to the fans– said Igor Medved -. I wish the team to focus on the games and continue to work well. I will not comment further on this matter”.
Marleena Valtasola, executive director of the Finnish Ski Federation, said the issue was promptly addressed by the federation and the Olympic Committee: “The situation will be discussed with Igor immediately after the Olympics in Milan Cortina. Now we want to focus on ensuring the best competitive conditions for the athletes. Lasse Moilanen will be in charge of training the ski jumping team for the remainder of the Games, supported by the women’s team coach Ossi-Pekka Valta and the Finnish Ski Federation sports director Petter Kukkonen”.
Igor Medved, born March 9, 1981, is a former Slovenian ski jumper who achieved significant results at the international level during his career. In the World Cup he made his World Cup debut on January 6, 2001, in Bischofshofen, finishing in 37th place, and in the same year he achieved his first individual podium with a third place in Trondheim on March 9, 2001.
Igor Medved was born on March 9, 1981.
In the major circuit he won a total of two podiums, demonstrating competitiveness in both individual and team events. In particular, he won a second place in the team competition and won an individual third place, results that contributed to his best finish in the overall standings, which closed in 24th place in 2001. During the season he also won a stage podium in the prestigious Nordic Tournament.
