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Professional speed skating had become a way of life almost 24/7 for Finland’s Vesa Rosendahl, right up until he retired from competitive sport in December 2005. For almost a decade, Vesa (born December 1975) competed at the top level, regularly representing his country. In 2002, Vesa achieved 3rd place in 1500 meters in the European Championship and participated in the Salt Lake City Winter Games. Vesa, based in Harjavalta, Finland typically traveled 150 to 200 days a year to train and compete. What little spare time he had was used to complete a Master of Science in Economics at the University of Helsinki between 1996 and 2005. Funding from the Finnish Olympic Organization Committee and sponsors were Vesa’s only source of income. Having retired at 30 years-old with no work experience beyond sports, Vesa faced a significant career challenge at that point in his life. Thankfully, two years prior to his retirement he had begun to prepare for a career after sport with the help of the IOC ACP Programme and Adecco Finland’ s Virpi Ojakangas-Palmunen. Virpi helped Vesa develop his first ever CV, identify job opportunities and apply and prepare for application forms and tests. Vesa highlights the benefits: “I’d always had an interest in banking and Virpi helped get me into ‘business shape’ to succeed and get my first job. Amongst other benefits, going through the stages of the IOC ACP programme with Virpi helped me identify the relevance of my sporting experience to potential employers: I am very dedicated; can cope with pressure and have always been very goal-orientated.” Vesa ended-up being offered two jobs and started his career in banking as a trainee team manager early 2006. This role proved a springboard to promotion and a successful transition into a working life. Vesa concludes: “Athletes need help when they enter the labour market and the IOC ACP helped get me on the right track.”
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