Tiomila 2024: Controversy Surrounding Changes in the Historic Sports Competition

In 1945, the men’s Tiomilatafett set the framework for what became a classic in sports circles. In 1977, the ladies got their own five-legged competition which was run in daylight. The wings of history have been untouched over the old guide trees in the guide woods for almost 80 years, but in 2024 it is time for the first step towards a more equal competition. Now, however, the changes are being questioned.

– It feels like it was a worse compromise for everyone and that they went more to satisfy the rule for equal competitions than to make the runners happy, says a runner of the national team and the night’s Swedish management champion, Simon Hector.

“I think Tiomila’s trademark is that he should be strong and tough,” says national team manager Simon Hector.

Photo: Ali Lorestani

The reason for the changes basically stemming from a decision by the National Sports Confederation on equality for male and female competitors. According to this, the Swedish Driving Association has decided, for example, the same winning time in the elite classes. In 2023, the Tiomilaföreningen started their development work by establishing their new competition structure.

– It was decided that even Tiomila, with many traditions, would be made more equal. It has been an ongoing process for a few years with many opinions and fears, for example, that the smaller clubs would not get teams together, says Michael Thulin, chairman of the Tiomila Association.

In what way is Tiomila becoming more equal?

– Equality is a question of definition. Our interpretation is that there should be night sections in the women’s relay and that the running time in both relays should be the same. We agreed on a slightly longer women’s roller with six stretches and that the length of the men’s roller track would be shortened. The plan is for us to go like a staircase, slowly but surely forward, says Michael Thulin.

To accommodate the logistics of the night stretch, there will be a break in the relays for the first time and then restart with a start.

– The reason for the break is that one should not take attention away from one or the other rolling pin. It is also part of the equality so that one competition should not exceed the other, says Michael Thulin.

On Saturday, the women will start the Tiomilastafette with night sequences.

Photo: Peter Holgersson/Bildbyrån

But it is above all breaks and length of course for the men in question.

– The break gives value to the sense of relay. One of Tiomila’s strengths is that they want to change back and forth a bit in the set-up, but this time they are away from the heart of Tiomila. For me it stretches long, many nights and all in one piece, says Simon Hector, who competes for Snättringe SK.

– There is a long history behind what makes Tiomila so good. It is important to preserve history, but at the same time you need to update it for today’s conditions. It’s fine to move towards equality, but it’s a bit too much change at once. I think it might take a little more time before we have the same stretch, he says.

Don’t you think it’s about ignorance?

– I have thought a little about myself. I don’t want to be someone who thinks “change is bad”. But it’s the changes themselves that I have comments on.

Michael Thulin, chairman of the Tiomilaföreningen.

Photo: Alasdair Thulin

Some have considered that the women’s relay received less attention and that it was the men’s competition with the “long night” and the ten rows that carried Tiomila’s trademark. In a previous article in DN national team runner Hilda Johansson Holmqvist said that the women’s competition needs night sections to make the sport equal.

– It feels that the female gender has become an appendage to the real Tiomilastafette, she says.

Chairman Tiomila does not have that view.

– I think it is a bit rude to say an appendix. In recent years, the women’s race has received a lot of media attention because it was held on a Saturday afternoon. But it does not meet the equality, says Michael Thulin.

In the weekend is it time for the women to charge the headlights and pull the night tactics to tackle the land in Nynäshamn. The big stars Tove Alexandersson and Karolin Ohlsson will compete for Stora Tuna OK and Järla orienteering respectively.

– It will be exciting to see what happens as the night progresses. The guys always talk so much about these series and it’s so badly hyped. I think the night is fun and will be a bit more challenging. Everyone in our club agrees that it should be fun at night, says Karolin Ohlsson.

– I think that the night is very fun, but night stretching does not concern me at the moment. But in a few years when I’m not so good anymore, I would definitely like to do a night stretch. There are many who are tagged at night in our team and I think it suits the clubs that do not have so many national team runners, says Tove Alexandersson.

The option is to split the baton in two which caused the biggest reactions out in the clubhouses. Simon Hector and Tove Alexandersson think it’s a shame to take a break in the middle of the relay.

– I think it would be better to run the relays at the same time and without restarting, says Tove.

– One idea is that one relay starts in the evening and ends at night, and the other starts at night and ends in the morning, with changes every two years. Maybe it would be harder for the sports teams, but it is a solution that I think would have been interesting, says Simon.

In total, there are approximately 4,800 female and male runners who will take on Tiomila.

Photo: Niklas Larsson/Bildbyrån

One of the big questions who benefit from the changes. According to Michael Thulin, Tiomila is a relay for everyone on elite terms.

– But it is important that we do not scare the users and the public. Some clubs believe there was a limitation with the expansion of the women’s relay, but it may depend on how well they can grow with the task. I also think that there is a risk that the big elite clubs on the women’s side are in favor. In the men’s event, he prefers the clubs that are usually in the middle of the leaderboard and below because they feel that the competition runs all the way to the finish rather than a to run in restart.

Any other answers?

– Some older gentlemen do not like the fact that there have been shorter distances, which surprised us because they are really the ones who should think it is better. But managers usually think it should be long, difficult and hard, says Michael Thulin.

In the women’s relay there are 275 registered teams, which equates to 1,650 women. There are 317 teams in the men’s relay, and women can also participate. The last time the competition was held in Nynäshamn, in 2018, there were similar figures in the number of participants with a few other registered teams for the men’s relay.

On Saturday, athletes and the world’s elite go out on the same tracks. The women’s overall course length is the longest ever, while the men run the shortest 10 miles ever. It remains to be seen how the competition will turn out for runners and spectators.

– On Sunday it will be very interesting to see the evaluations, says Michael Thulin.