The Nokia police will decide today whether to ask the local District Court to remand former ski-jumping Olympic champion Matti Nykänen in custody.
Nykänen has been charged with attempted manslaughter. He has been under arrest since Tuesday after reportedly stabbing an acquaintance at a summer cabin in Nokia.
In addition to Nykänen, his wife Mervi Tapola-Nykänen is also under arrest on the same charges.
According to Finnish legislation, if the couple decided on the stabbing together, Tapola-Nykänen can receive the same sentence even if only Nykänen held the knife.
Nykänen is suspected of stabbing a 59-year-old man on Tuesday afternoon. The victim was seriously injured, but his situation is not life-threatening.
The police have questioned everyone who was present at the cabin when the stabbing took place, but decline to reveal if everyone has given a similar account of the events.
The motive of the attempted manslaughter is also unclear. Some reports have stated that alcohol was a factor in the incident.
A conviction would carry a maximum sentence of nine years' imprisonment. Nykänen already has a suspended sentence for beating his wife in 2003. The probation period of this sentence does not end until 2006.
Matti Nykänen won four gold medals in Olympic ski-jumping during a glittering career. His life since his retirement from the sport has been rather more chequered, and he has been a stock figure in tabloid headlines for some years.
