The Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS) has appointed Pekka Rauhala, Doctor of Medical Science, as their new medical expert. Rauhala will be in charge of medical matters at FINCIS.
Pekka Rauhala (born 1960) will begin in the position on 1 January 2018. The position is part-time.
Rauhala is a university lecturer at the pharmacological department of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Helsinki. He has previously worked as a member of the FINCIS Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee. He received his doctoral degree in 1988.
Rauhala is also known as a successful free-style wrestler. He won four silver medals at the European championship level, and he is the last Finn to have won a medal in a major competition in men’s free-style wrestling.
– It’s great to be involved with top-level sports again in this position, after a ‘short’ 25-year break, says Rauhala.
– The quality of candidates applying for the position of FINCIS’ medical expert was excellent. As a former top athlete, Pekka Rauhala has a practical approach to both athletes’ daily lives and health care. He knows how to help athletes and has no conflicts of interest regarding the position. Rauhala is also an expert in pharmacology and as a former member of the Therapeutic Use Exemption Committee he is familiar with anti-doping activities, says Harri Syväsalmi, Secretary General at FINCIS.
Pekka Rauhala succeeds Timo Seppälä in the position. Seppälä was in the service of FINCIS and the anti-doping organisations that preceded it since 1989. He retired in spring 2017.
Additional information from:
Susanna Sokka
FINCIS Information Manager
+358 (0)40 740 7477