Mika Lehtimäki has announced he has decided to resign from his position as the Director of the Olympic Committee’s sports department.
“A line was crossed in relation to the time and to the content of [a text] message. The messages were too friendly. I understand they have caused insecurity and anxiety. I made a mistake. This cannot be done in this position. The mistake is mine,” he said.
Jan Vapaavuori, the president of the Finnish Olympic Committee, admitted there were mistakes made in the way the organization handled the allegations of harassment against Mika Lehtimäki.
During a press conference on Thursday, Vapaavuori apologized to the women who were affected by Lehtimäki’s behavior.
“It can be said a lot of mistakes have been made along the way. I have made mistakes. Big and small. I want to apologize to everyone. Above all, I apologize to the women who have been most affected, but also to the Olympic family and our professional community, who have found the matter troubling,” Vapaavuori said.
It was reported Lehtimäki had been sent an internal warning after sending sexually explicit text messages to two of his female colleagues. He also reportedly physically harassed some of his female colleagues.
He has denied the allegations of “inappropriate physical contact” yet despite the warning and allegations, the board still extended his contract until 2024.
Vapaavuori also admitted the decision to allow Lehtimäki to continue in his role was a mistake. He noted the case was handled too much on his terms.
“The biggest mistake happened at the stage when Mika Lehtimäki was granted an extension, even though we were aware of the warning,” Vapaavuori said.
Vapaavuori stated the Olympic Committee would carry out an external investigation on the way the organization handled his case.
Although he did not feel the incident directly affected the organization’s trust, Vapaavuori said the communication between management and staff members needed to be improved. He also apologized to the staff members for the misjudgment.
Leena Paavolainen will replace Lehtimäki as interim head of the unit until a new appointment is made.
The committee will also look into the circumstances surrounding the contract extension granted to Lehtimäki.
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