The crowd, happily exhausted after experiencing the Jukola night, gathered to watch the award ceremony as the top teams in the men’s relay took the stage.
The brightest spotlight was on the winning team, Stora Tuna OK (Olle Kalered, Joakim Svensk, Jesper Svensk, Ville Johansson, Henrik Johannesson, Viktor Svensk, and Emil Svensk), joined by NTNUI and, to the delight of Finnish fans, Helsingin Suunnistajat, who secured a spot in the top three.
The Coach of the Year awards from the Finnish Orienteering Coaches Association also went to Helsinki.
The awards were presented by Juhani Sihvonen from Kaukametsäläiset Association, Timo Ritakallio, Chair of the Finnish Orienteering Federation, Juho and Markus Suutarinen representing main partner SBS Betoni, and Janne Kinnunen, Mayor of Mikkeli.
The ceremony also included the traditional handover of the Jukola flag to the next host city. Juho Siikilä, Chair of the Mikkeli-Jukola Organizing Committee, wished the Kotka-Jukola team success and shared his reflections after a long journey:
“Mikkeli-Jukola gave us inspiration and an incredible sense of community. But now, it’s time to rest!”
The next Jukola will be organized in the terrain of Kymin aerodrome with collaboration between two clubs. The Kotka delegation, who came to receive the flag, brings both experience from organizing major events and fresh enthusiasm.
“This will be our club’s fourth Jukola,” explained Arto Tilli, Chair of Vehkalahden Veikot. For Kymin Suunnistajat, however, this is their first time taking on the responsibility.
“This means a lot to us, both for the club’s development and from an orienteering perspective,” added Pauli Kainiemi, Chair of Kymin Suunnistajat.
Tommi Lanki, Director of Sports for the City of Kotka, praised the cooperation with the clubs and believes everyone will feel welcome at Kotka-Jukola.
“We hope visitors to Jukola will also enjoy the many offerings of our coastal city.”
Ari Kukkonen, Competition Director of Kotka-Jukola, accepted the responsibility with humility and thanked Mikkeli-Jukola for the lessons learned.
“There’s no turning back now. But we have big dreams, and we’re moving toward them. It’s an honor to create something this large and meaningful.”
Text: Virva Korpinen
Photo: Samu Romo
Translation: Mariya Loginova