Writer Leena Lehtolainen embraces role as ambassador for 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

Writer Leena Lehtolainen has become an ambassador for the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. Her titles have been translated into as many as 29 languages, making her one of the most popular Finnish writers internationally.

Lehtolainen, who is best known for her crime novels, has also written two non-fiction books on figure skating: Taitoluistelun lumo (Paasilinna, 2010, together with Kaisa Viitanen) and Jään lumo (Tammi, 2016, together with Elina Paasonen and Kaisa Viitanen). Figure skating also features prominently in Death Spiral, one of the novels in her Maria Kallio series. Lehtolainen has written for the Finnish figure skating magazine Taitoluistelu since 2000.

Leena Lehtolainen has now taken on the role of ambassador for the figure skating event of the century, the World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki. Various cooperative efforts with the aim of breaking the boundaries between art and sport will be carried out at The World Figure Skating Championships in late March - early April, and the competition's ambassadors will play a significant role in these efforts. As a fan of figure skating, Leena Lehtolainen is a familiar figure in ice rinks around the world. She describes her affection for figure skating as bordering on the obsessive.

- I'm a figure skating addict! I've been in the audience at championship events every year since 1999. When you're watching a competition, you forget about the world outside the arena. The beauty, drama and excitement of the performance just draws you in completely. Figure skating is a wonderful combination of sport, music, and dance. It's a uniquely fascinating sport, and I couldn't live without it.

- I'm going to sit through every single event this coming spring, from early morning practices to competition events late at night. Figure skating is most enjoyable when you experience it in person, preferably together with friends from all over the world, Lehtolainen enthuses.

The Worlds2017 ambassadors are part of the competition event, and they can give out tickets to a group of their choice and by doing so give them the gift of a unique experience. Leena Lehtolainen awarded 10 tickets to Kisu ry (Kirkkonummen Seudun Mielenterveysyhdistys/Kirkkonummi association for mental health).

-We are delighted to have this opportunity to attend the Worlds and grateful to Leena, who considered us worthy recipients of the free tickets, chairperson Anneli Bohm says.