Suomen Olympiakomitea

The Finnish Team in XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver achieved total of five medals. The best Finnish athlete was Peetu Piiroinen, who won silver in snowboarding halfpipe competition. Two bronze medals were achieved in both cross-country skiing and ice hockey. Women’s 4 x 5 km relay team (Pirjo Muranen, Virpi Kuitunen, Riitta-Liisa Roponen and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen) as well as Aino-Kaisa Saarinen in individual 30 km were in the medal positions in cross-country skiing. In ice hockey both men’s and women’s teams were third in their Olympic tournaments. Finland didn’t reach the goal, which was 12 medals.

Snowboard athlete Ilkka-Eemeli Laari has injured his knee during practice run and won’t be compeeting in Vancouver. Markku Koski will replace him.

Ice hockey player Ville Peltonen will carry the Finnish flag at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Peltonen has previously participated in three Olympic tournaments, winning a medal each time: bronze in Lillehammer 1994, bronze in Nagano 1998 and silver in Turin 2006. In Nagano he scored the winning goal for Finland in the bronze medal game against Canada. In Finland Ville Peltonen is best remembered for his three goals against Sweden in the World Championship final of 1995, which earned the Finnish Lions their first and so far only gold medal at major international tournaments.

A total of 95 athletes have been nominated for the Finnish Olympic Team for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, 35 women and 60 men. Nominations were made in five sets. The goal of the team was set already at the end of May 2009, when the first nominations were made. The goal is to achieve altogether 12 medals and at least one of them gold.

Starting on 1 January 2010 ÅF has embarked on a major collaboration with the Olympic Committees in Finland, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden. ÅF now takes the step from title sponsor of the ÅF Golden League 2008–2009 to becoming an Olympic partner.