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The world's best winter sports athletes competed in the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics from 6 to 22 February 2026. Aalto University students who represented Finland were freestyle skier Kuura Koivisto, alpine skier Rosa Pohjolainen, and ice dancer Juulia Turkkila, all three from the School of Business. A total of 103 athletes were selected for the Finnish team, almost half of whom were ice hockey players. 

Alpine skier Rosa Pohjolainen competed in slalom, downhill and super-G at the Milano-Cortina Olympics. She was part of the Finnish team already at the Beijing games in 2022, where she earned her place by finishing 14th in the slalom in Schladming the same year! In 2024, Rosa won the second youth championship medal of her career in downhill skiing. Rosa's club is Hyvinkää Slalom Club Sukkula.

Figure skating pair Juulia Turkkila / Matthias Versluis performed brilliantly on the Milan Olympic ice, finishing 12th in the final results. 

‘The overall performance was cohesive. It's been a long day and an intensive two weeks here. Somehow there was a sigh of relief. It was wonderful to skate today,’ Turkkila said in an interview with Yle. The ice dancing pair represents Helsingin Luistelijat.  

The absolute highlight of Turkkila/Versluis's career was the bronze medal in front of the home crowd at the Helsinki European Championships in 2023.

Aalto supports competitive athletes

Alongside competitive sports, Kuura Koivisto and Rosa Pohjolainen are pursuing bachelor's degrees in business studies. Kuura's major is management studies, while Rosa's major is information and service management. Juulia Turkkila has already completed her bachelor's degree and has progressed to her master's studies, where her major is management studies.

Aalto University is committed to supporting the integration of studies and sports for students belonging to the Urhea sports academy in the Helsinki metropolitan area, considering the challenges and special needs of a sports career. In addition to Kuura, Rosa and Juulia, there are currently over 200 students at Aalto who have an Urhea agreement.

‘The basis of support is a valid membership in Urhea. In practice, supporting the student in their studies means flexibility in course deadlines and submission channels, as well as exam times and locations where possible. If feasible for the learning objectives, flexibility is also granted for mandatory attendance during camps and competition trips. This does not mean compromising on learning objectives but especially flexibility in the performance methods and schedules,’ says Aalto's responsible professor for Urhea collaboration, working life professor Sami Itani. 

‘Finland once again had a great representation at the Olympics and I am really proud of Kuura, Rosa and Juulia, who earned their place in the competition squad. I hope they avoid injuries in the future and wish them success in upcoming competitions,’ says Sami Itani.

Text: Terhi Ollikainen