Deputy mayor Paavo Arhinmäki takes a hard shot at the HSK club, coach Mirjami Penttinen’s case may lead to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of euros.

Helsinki deputy mayor Paavo Arhinmäki (left) says that the figure skating coach Mirjami Penttinen the case may result in substantial financial sanctions.

Even the recovery of hundreds of thousands of euros threatens the figure skating club Helsingfors Skridskoklubb (HSK), where Penttinen has worked. The background is Penttinen’s alleged inappropriate behavior.

In the 2020s, HSK has received a total of about 300,000 euros in operating and space use grants from the City of Helsinki.

Clubs applying for support from the city commit to the conditions of assistance, which include the principles of fair play. Violation of the conditions may lead to the recovery of subsidies.

“The investigation of the matter is still ongoing. If it is found that HSK has violated the ethical rules that are a condition of the city’s subsidies in the case of Penttinen, then the support may be collected back from the club,” says Arhinmäki.

“In that case, HSK’s future grants could also be at risk for at least a while.”

Helsingin Sanomat said at the beginning of March, based on his report, that Penttinen has continued to behave inappropriately towards underage skaters.

In 2020, Penttinen was banned from competition for a year by the disciplinary committee of the Finnish Figure Skating Association. The board concluded that Penttinen had shouted, humiliated and used inappropriate language.

HSK had to pay over EUR 57,000 in support from 2018 back to the city of Helsinki. Now, according to Arhinmäki, the amount can be significantly larger.

“It would probably be a very aggravating circumstance if the same club was deemed to have violated the ethical criteria of grants again. The amount to be recovered would most obviously increase significantly from the previous time,” Arhinmäki thinks.

“In that case, I think it would no longer be possible to talk only about the activities of an individual coach in the club, but the burden of responsibility would also extend to the club’s board and other key actors.”

City of Helsinki is currently awaiting the completion of the investigations by the Finnish Sports Ethics Center (Suek) and HSK.

According to Arhinmäki, the city will assess, based on these reports, whether sufficient measures have been taken in the club to ensure a safe operating environment for enthusiasts.

“The city of Helsinki has not yet made any decisions or outlines in the matter. The time for them will only be when we have enough information,” the deputy mayor responsible for culture and leisure underlines.

The city examined HSK’s operations from the years 2019–2020 after the recovery, so the new investigation will focus on the years 2021–2025. For these years, the club received a total of 249,112 euros in operating and facility use grants.

“The city of Helsinki wants to be a pioneer in nurturing ethical issues. That’s why the grant criteria will be tightened in those respects from 2027,” says Arhinmäki.

Recovery decisions will still not automatically affect the grants of the following year or the following years.

“We don’t want to lightly punish the activities of hobbyists and club members,” Arhinmäki emphasizes.

In recent years, the city of Helsinki has also recovered grants from the gymnastics club Elise Gymnastics. According to the city, it did not follow the ethical principles of the sports community, which were a condition of the 2022 grant, and had to pay back more than 98,000 euros in subsidies.