Jarmo Punkkinen

Jarmo Punkkinen (born March 19, 1951 in Valkeala ) is a Finnish ski trainer.

From 1984 to 1990 Punkkinen was the head coach of the Italian cross-country skiers and from 1987 to 1991 personal trainer of the Italian cross-country skier Manuela Di Centa . He then coached the Swedish women's national team from 1992 to 1994 and the Slovenian national team from 1999 to 2001.

During his active time as a winter sportsman, Jarmo Punkkinen competed in cross-country skiing and orienteering, from 1979 to 1982 he worked as a youth trainer for the Finnish Ski Association. He owns his own company called Jarmo Punkkinen Tmi and works for Finnish television and radio as a cross-country and biathlon expert .

When questioned by the Italian police, cross-country skiers Antonio Confortola, Albert Walder and Giulio Capitanio testified that, on the advice of the then head coach Punkkinen, they had used doping practices with EPO and blood products. A total of 33 names of doping offenders from the Italian cross-country skiing area are said to have become known during the police interrogation at the end of the 1990s.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Klaus Blume: Between EPO and thyroid disease. www.nzz.ch, October 4, 2012, accessed on October 19, 2012 .  
2. ↑ XC-Ski editorial team: Former cross-country stars Juha Mieto and Manuela di Centa under suspicion of doping. www.xc-ski.de, September 25, 2012, accessed on October 19, 2012 .