With 47 out of 116 events completed at the Winter Olympics, Finland’s medal tally is stuck at one bronze. And now a fresh controversy has added to the nation’s struggle. Another piece of news comes in, where Finland’s ski jumping head coach, Igor Medved has been sent back home from the Winter Olympics over an alcohol-related issue. Shortly after, the coach has now broken his silence on the topic.

As reported by NBC Chicago, Medved issued an apology after his removal, “I made a mistake and I am very sorry. I want to apologize to the entire Finnish team, the athletes and also the fans.”

The controversy unveiled when Janne Hänninen, head of the Finnish Olympic Committee said, “Medved traveled home today. The matter concerns issues related to alcohol use. We take violations of the team’s rules very seriously and reacted to the situation quickly.”

While Medved’s behavior was described as a rule violation, no particular information was given on what exactly happened. As per the Guardian, Medved’s behavior occurred outside the working hours, however it reportedly broke the “agreed standards.”

In another voice note sent to YLE sports, Medved clarified, “After the competition, I was invited to Slovenia’s gold medal celebration. I hadn’t eaten anything, and after that, the alcohol did its job.”

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“I am not proud of myself.” the longtime coach added.

Back in the Finnish camp, Marleena Valtasola, executive director of the Finnish Ski Federation, stressed, for now, the priority is simple, to protect the athletes’ focus and bring a sense of calm back to the group.

“An unpleasant situation has arisen: alcohol was consumed in violation of team rules,” she said plainly. “We have decided that Medved will not participate in the Olympics. The other issues will be discussed with him after the Games.”

With Medved out of the picture, the team is already moving forward. Valtasola expressed confidence in the staff still in place, and responsibility for the ski jumping squad now falls to Lasse Moilanen, who will guide them through the rest of the competition, including the upcoming men’s individual Large Hill event on Saturday. Meanwhile, another controversy is making headlines at the Winter Games.

Winter Olympics Rocked by yet another controversy 

Interestingly, the 2026 Winter Olympics found itself dealing with yet another wave of controversy this week. A completely different issue surfaced elsewhere, this time involving Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified from the Winter Olympics

The problem centered around Heraskevych’s helmet. It contained images of over 20 deceased Ukrainian athletes and coaches, honoring who lost their lives in the conflict with Russia.

The International Olympic Committee said the “helmet of remembrance,” which featured their photos, violated rules that ban any form of political messaging during competition. But Heraskevych didn’t see it that way.

“I used it in all trainings. I used it today, I will use it tomorrow, and I will use it on race day. I truly believe that we didn’t violate any law and any rules,” he said about the helmet at the Milan Olympics.

Still, the IOC stood by its stance. President Kirsty Coventry addressed the backlash, saying she personally understood the message and even called it powerful. But, she stressed, “The messaging is a powerful message of remembrance, it’s a message of memory, and no-one is disagreeing with that.” The issue, she said, was that he insisted on displaying it “on the field of play.”

In the end, the Games are once again caught in a difficult spot, leaving both athletes and officials walking a delicate line. What are your thoughts on both of these situations?