Finnish businessman steps up to be godfather of 2012 European Athletics Championships

Jussi Salonoja

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The 2012 European Athletics Championships to be hosted by Helsinki in the summer of 2012 experienced a new and somewhat surprising development on Monday, when Finnish businessman Jussi Salonoja signed up for taking a share in the costs of televising the games.
     
Known for his previous support to Finnish athletes as well as to the ice hockey team Espoon Blues, Salonoja is not willing to reveal the precise sum with which he is involved in the project. However, the amount of money is reported to be significant.
      According to information received by Helsingin Sanomat, Salonoja’s share will be several hundreds of thousands of euros.
     
The cost of the organising of the TV broadcasting of the games has been estimated at around EUR 2.5 million, of which sum the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will cover roughly one million. The Finnish Athletics Association (SUL) and its partner organisations will lay on the table another sum of nearly one million.
      The EBU will take the total responsibility for the production of the games, while the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) will contribute to the costs as a member-state of the EBU. YLE has decided put 20 key employees, including directors and cameramen, at the EBU’s disposal for producing the international coverage of the event.
      Atte Jääskeläinen, the Director of YLE News, Sport and Regional Programmes, says that YLE wanted to have a precedent for the financing of televising major international games.
      A similar pattern could recur if Finland is selected to host for example the World Ski Championships in 2015.
      Does this solution mean that in the future all major sports events will gradually be transferred to pay television channels?
      ”This has nothing to do with that. As far as YLE is concerned, this is the first time we will use an entirely new funding system, whereby YLE will secure the quality but will not play any significant role in the financing of the international production”, Jääskeläinen argued.
     
When Helsinki organised the World Championships in 2005, SUL calculated that the state received approximately EUR 30 million in indirect tax revenues. According to SUL chairman Antti Pihlakoski, the indirect tax receipts resulting from the European Athletics Championships will be more than EUR 10 million.
      ”It would have been absurd not to take advantage of this opportunity, which is why I for my part wanted to secure the games”, noted Salonoja in his statement.
     
The European Athletics Association (EAA) decided in November that the European Athletics Championships will from 2012 on be organised every two years.
      The Finnish capital promised to organise the European Athletics Championships, provided that the funding of the TV broadcasting of the games could be arranged.
      YLE, which is strapped for cash, was not prepared to pick up the tab for all the expenses involved in supplying a TV signal.
     
The European Athletics Championships will take place from June 25th to July 1st, 2012.
      The proximity to the London Summer Olympics has been seen as a possible question-mark over who will take part - some athletes from the continent may duck the championships to avoid risk of injury or to concentrate on their final preparations for London.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki to host 2012 European Athletics Championships; financing of televising the games still a question mark (10.11.2009)

Links:
  Finnish Athletics Association
  European Athletics press release 9.11.2009

Helsingin Sanomat