Finnish volleyball player left off national team over potential employment in Russia

The Finnish Volleyball Association dismissed libero Lauri Kerminen from its men’s side last week over reports he may seek continued employment in Russia.

The decision came as the Olympic Movement continues to define its role in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Kerminen, who plies his trade with Russian side Dynamo Moscow, had yet to rule out a return to the Eurasian nation ahead of this summer’s European Championship qualifiers according to Finnish public broadcaster YLE.

Lauri Inna, Chairman of the Finnish Volleyball Association, explained how the situation came about. He told YLE, “head coach Joel Banks approached us and asked about the union’s policy…and we made a decision. Now the team doesn’t have to worry too much about this kind of thing.”

The decision may have indirectly defined new boundaries in international sports according to Jan Vapaavuori, Chairman of the Finnish Olympic Committee.

In a separate interview, Vapaavuori told YLE, “I thought this was a welcome and good breakthrough.”

He added, “it is very difficult to see that at the same time we could have athletes who play sports within the state-led Russian sports system and at the same time represent the Finnish national team.”

The decision to suspend Kerminen was taken solely by the Finnish Volleyball Association, but Vapaavuori expressed his approval of the informal policy.

He explained, “perhaps the point of view is, in a nutshell, that if a Finnish athlete decides to participate in organized sports in Russia, which is clearly part of the state’s propaganda machine, then the right to participate in Finnish national team activities should be denied at least for that period.”

His comments differ from recommendations laid out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which call on international sports federations and event organizers to “not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions.”

The committee’s recommendations make no mention of sanctions against foreign athletes playing in the two countries. Kerminen’s past and potential employment represent a gray area as he does not compete for Russia or Belarus.

Vapaavuori was aware of the difficult financial situation incurred by athletes playing abroad, admitting, “it is clear that policies of this type cause or may cause great damage to individual athletes.”

He argued, “it is good to note that there is still substantially greater suffering in the background in Ukraine, and that both Finnish society and the international community are constantly making quite big sacrifices.”

Kerminen, for his part, reportedly tried to leave Russia shortly after the invasion. He claims club officials gave him an ultimatum.

“I was told that I could leave, but it would cost money.”

His comments came during an interview with STT earlier this year. Kerminen didn’t disclose the financial loss he would have taken, just that it would have been substantial.

“Of course, the demand was a complete shock,” said the Finn. “Since the amount was so huge, I had to stay in Russia due to financial issues, even if I wanted to return to Finland.”

He returned to Finland after the season finished, but had yet to rule out a return to Russia during contract negotiations.

Despite the predicament described by Kerminen, Vapaavuori voiced his approval for the policy adopted by the Finnish sports movement, commenting, “I have liked this general line of ours quite well, i.e. a clear line that Russians and Belarusians are excluded from international sports activities and that this type of cooperation is not practiced with them either.”

The IOC has yet to comment on the situation.

It remains unclear if Kerminen’s suspension will cease if he finds employment outside of Russia.

However, the situation serves a prime example of the effect the war in Ukraine has had on international sports, since fighting first broke out shortly after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.