Finnish MP warns that sport risks losing its soul to greed

Dear friends in sport,

Greed vs fairness – which way to go? This is a question that touches not only sports but our entire society.

Sport has a unique power. It engages. It unites. It inspires. It makes us dream, it makes us fight, and it creates a sense of community across languages, cultures, and national borders. But the very core of sport is, and must always be, fairness.

When the starting gun goes off in a 100-meter race, everyone must stand on the same starting line. Those who false start are penalised or disqualified. The rules are respected, and there is trust that everyone follows them.

Above all, there must be confidence that the outcome is decided by the athlete’s own training, talent, and determination, not by cheating. When an athlete chooses to use banned substances to perform better, the fundamental idea of sport – fair competition – is broken.

But today, sport is not only about performance. It is also about major sponsorship deals, commercial interests, and national prestige. The question is: does sport always get the space it deserves, or is it being pushed aside by forces driven by greed?

History shows that humanity has always been fascinated by competition. In ancient Rome, the crowds cheered as gladiators fought to the death. Fortunately, both we humans and our choices of Friday entertainment have become more civilized.

Yet for an individual athlete, it can still feel like a matter of life and death. A single competition can define an entire career. The pressure to win medals is enormous. Often, the athlete carries not only their own dreams but the expectations of a whole nation.

We know this well in Finland. We experienced it when our Olympic team in Paris 2024 returned home without a single medal for the first time ever. As Minister for Sport at that time, I faced a fundamental question: how can we give our elite athletes even better conditions to succeed? There is no doubt that athletes themselves do everything they can. But what more can the state do to support them?

I initiated discussions with representatives from the entire sporting field. I appointed an expert group to secure the quality of elite sport, its long-term development, and its independent position. But most importantly, we listened to the athletes themselves, because they are the ones who best know what it takes to succeed.

When the pressure is high, the dilemma between greed and fairness becomes very real. Greed can tempt us with faster results, bigger sponsorships, and short-term gains. But fairness must weigh heavier, because without fairness, sport loses its soul.

This applies to everyone: the individual athlete, the coach, and the organisers of major sporting events. And sometimes, the contrast between greed and fairness becomes painfully clear.

Let me give you an example. Why do you think the FIFA World Cup 2022 was held in Qatar, even though Australia also applied to host the tournament? It was hardly for the ideal climate, hardly for suitable existing stadiums, and hardly for human rights or good working conditions. My belief is, it was all about money.

When I spoke with my former Canadian ministerial colleague Carla Qualtrough about their hosting of the 2026 Men’s World Cup together with the United States and Mexico, she told me about the criticism that arose once Canada was confirmed as a host.

There was a major public debate about whether Canada should really spend 200 million dollars on such an event when the money was needed for its own citizens. That debate was not being held in Qatar.

The public debate can be uncomfortable, but in democracies it is part of the game.

Greed is also visible on the individual level. In Finland, we have learned that lesson the hard way.

When the doping scandal in Lahti erupted during the 2001 World Ski Championships, it was a national catastrophe. Six competitors were found guilty of using banned substances to improve oxygen uptake. The doping system had been systematic, long-standing, and known to the leadership of the Finnish Ski Association.

This remains a stain on Finland’s collective memory. We learned that success without fairness is never worth the price — and that the aftermath for athletes is not always happy.

We see similar patterns in other countries. In poorer nations, a sporting career can mean the difference between poverty and security. Not only for the athlete, but for their entire family. The pressure for medals and results becomes almost existential. And precisely because of that, the temptation to take shortcuts becomes stronger. When the pressure is a matter of survival, the risk of doping grows.

I am deeply concerned that the Australian businessman Aron D’Souza now plans to organise an international sporting event in the United States – the so-called Enhanced Games – where athletes would be allowed to use banned performance-enhancing substances under medical supervision.

The event is planned to take place in Las Vegas in the spring of 2026. There, athletes will be encouraged to use doping substances and enhancement technology. The ambition is to break as many records as possible, and to attract participants with huge sums of money.

The sporting world has reacted strongly, and rightly so. Among others, WADA has called on U.S. authorities to find legal means to stop the event. To tamper with healthy bodies using drugs and hormones sends entirely the wrong message — especially to our young people.

And when it comes to new technologies, such as special suits or shoes, the fundamental question remains: where do we draw the line for what counts as fair competition?

The future of sport cannot be built on a race in doping or manipulation, but on human willpower, strength, and endurance.

Role models in sport play a crucial role, especially for our children. When athletes show that it is acceptable to cheat to achieve better results, they send a dangerous signal to the next generation. And the temptation can be powerful.

One of the registered participants in the Enhanced Games said in an interview that it would take thirteen years to earn as much from winning a World Championship gold as from a single race in the Enhanced Games. When the financial incentives become that extreme, it is perhaps not surprising that some are tempted to let greed outweigh honesty.

But what do we teach our children if we accept cheating? We teach them that it is acceptable to take shortcuts, acceptable to put results before fairness. And the danger is that this culture trickles down to the grassroots level — that parents begin to pressure their children, that the commercialisation of youth sports grows, and that the simple joy of participation is lost.

This reflects a broader societal pattern. When greed governs in the economy, in politics, in sport – we lose trust. But when we dare to hold on to fairness and transparency, we can build sustainable societies. And preserve the integrity of sport.

So the question before us is simple, yet decisive: greed vs fairness – which path do we choose?

And above all: how can we together create the conditions for more nations, more sporting movements, and more individuals to choose the path of fairness?

Thank you.