The Olympic Stadium prepares to receive an audience of about 20,000.
Since Sunday morning Finns have celebrated the first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey. Some with a sly smile on their face, others while drinking heavily and climbing on top of the slippery statue of Havis Amanda at the Market Square in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.
And there’s more to come. A national gold medal party to celebrate the Olympic ice hockey gold medal victory of Leijonat over Russia (2–1) will be held at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium starting at 19:00 on Monday evening.
“The buses of Leijonat will be brought in a police escort to the Olympic Stadium,” Jere Roimu, chief inspector at the Helsinki Police Department, said in a statement.
Roimu recommends other participants arrive by public transport. Traffic slowdowns are expected, not so much because of the police escort, but because of the heavy snowfall that begins in the afternoon.
In addition to Leijonat taking the stage, their female counterparts, who won an Olympic bronze medal will also make an appearance.
The party also features Finnish pop artists Ellinoora, JVG and Vesala.
The Olympic Stadium prepares to receive an audience of about 20,000. Free tickets for the event became available at six on Sunday evening.
In less than half an hour they were “sold out.”
Later, spineless ticket vendors looking to make a quick buck crept online, and with no shame asked as much as €125 for a single free coupon printed from the internet.
“We hope that no one will attempt to cash in because the idea is that everyone would get to celebrate for free. Selling tickets does not follow the spirit of the event,” a representative of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association said on Sunday evening.
