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   _{•   Responsibility for developing young athletes has been placed on the shoulders of clubs.}

   _{•    If the state provides funding, we could look to the Scandinavian model.}

   _{•    We also need to involve parents in the clubs and the training process.}

_{How should we proceed if, on the one hand, we want to win something at the next and subsequent Olympic Games, but on the other hand, we simply do not have the money to prepare for them? Top-level sport is very expensive nowadays, and although "porridge and training" can go a long way, it is no longer enough to win anything, writes Sulev Lipp, member of the board of the Estonian Cycling Union.}

_{The solution is... parents! This is not something I have come up with myself, but I have been surprised that although we have quite a lot of discussion in the field of sports, there is no mention anywhere of greater involvement by parents. Rather, I have heard that coaches and clubs do not want parents to get involved because they tend to interfere. Of course, coaches have a point here, and I would like to clarify that we need to involve intelligent parents. I think they are in the majority.}

_{In Estonia, parents drive their children (usually by car) to the training venue and pick them up two hours later. What happens to the child during those two hours is none of their concern. Parents have no idea what their children are doing at training. I am exaggerating, of course, but still...}

_{In the best case scenario, our parents accompany us to competitions on weekends. In the best case scenario, they let the coaches and children get on with it, observing the process. In the worst case scenario, they suddenly become smarter than the coach and competition organizer combined and teach aggressively, demanding results and "top-level children's sports," without knowing what has been done before in training or what is done every day.}

_{A coach with a low salary but a strong sense of mission has to deal with everyone at once. This is actually an impossible mission.}

_{Responsibility for the next generation of athletes has been placed on the shoulders of clubs. But how do our clubs survive? You don't have to dig very deep to find out – clubs work incredibly hard to find private sponsors in addition to meager state support in order to make ends meet. It is a worn-out and worrying topic that coaches tend to be low-paid. If a club needed to separate three groups of children/young people, i.e., beginners, intermediate, and advanced, it would not be able to do so because the club does not have the money to hire an additional coach. This one low-paid but highly motivated coach has to cope with all of them at once. This is actually an impossible task. The strong ones do not get the training they need, the weaker ones find the training difficult and demotivating, and only the intermediate ones get the training they need.}

_{According to Andri Lebedev, a coach at Audentes Sports Gymnasium (who needs no introduction in the world of cycling), another problem is that coaching subsidies for clubs are extended to children under the age of 12. The basic allowance should not cover them either, as this puts pressure on clubs to involve children too early and increases the risk of premature specialization. If the state provides funding, it could look to the Scandinavian model, where sports weekends are organized for children to try out different sports. One weekend might be athletics – discus, javelin, running, and jumping. The next weekend might be cycling in the forest. Children do not have to be members of a single club, but can choose what they like and what is nearby. Parents are fully involved and help with the organization. And this is also in the parents' interest.}

_{A friend who has lived in Sweden for a long time described how training for children and young people is structured there. He had taken his son to soccer practice. The first time, the parents in the club had lined up, figuratively speaking, and asked who would be the coach. I remembered this conversation and did some research in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. All club managers responded unanimously that, of course, parents are involved in the process. Every day!!!}

_{You cannot expect routine and work from a child of this age. However, the desire to go to training must be maintained.}

_{We also need to bring parents closer to clubs and involve them in the training process. You do not need a license or a master's degree to coach children and young people. Nowadays, children start training at the age of 6–8. From then on, there are two, three, or four years when children need playful exercise. They need to be able to move around, do so in the fresh air, and not get bored. You cannot expect children of this age to have a routine and work ethic. However, they must maintain the desire to go to training. Talking to coaches, I have realized that our clubs are working hard to offer this to children and young people. But they shouldn't have to, if parents would come to the clubs' aid.}

_{Of course, no one in their right mind can suddenly start training children in the forest. Clubs must certainly provide basic knowledge, but parents could conduct the training sessions themselves. Yes, the parents themselves! Or several parents at once, supporting each other. When parents conduct the training themselves, they see and feel everything at the grassroots level, which allows them to establish a much better connection with their children. They understand how the training affects their child: what happens there, does my child have friends there, do they enjoy it? In addition, parents understand the technical nuances: is better equipment needed, and why? Parents take their children to competitions themselves or take other children, their "neighbor's children," along with them. In addition, parents themselves get to exercise and break out of their routine. They get away from work stress, which is no small thing. What else?}

_{Parents communicate actively and closely with club leaders and "real" coaches, not just once a year at a formal meeting.}

_{We lack a strong foundation}

_{Children and young people do not need to engage in intensive specialized activities. Children need to become physically strong in general. In my humble opinion, our foundation – simple strength or endurance – is extremely weak, even below any acceptable standard. The choice of specialty comes later. This is not an easy task either, but there are professionals who can spot talent. Professional coaches take over the talented ones at a certain point and the process continues, but on a completely different level. Strong specialists in the field are involved, as is science.}

_{Finally, the first results come in, followed by today's EOK A-B-C categories and Team Estonia. Later comes international life – international university sports, international top teams (at least in cycling, international top teams are absolutely necessary, because only they can help Estonian athletes reach the absolute top in the world).}

_{A plan must be created to involve the majority of society so that every single parent contributes significantly more money and time to their child's sports than before.}

_{I understand perfectly well that all this is not easy to organize. We have everything regulated, coaches have a level system, etc. But this is a key issue, because in my opinion, we simply do not have any other option. Andri Lebedev said: "The future of youth sports (and sports in general) in Estonia depends on whether we can involve parents, offer children diverse experiences, and restore the value of sports in society. This is not just a question for coaches, but a broader cultural change. If we can create an environment where sport is a joyful and community-based activity, then children will find their way there in the future."}

_{A plan must be created to involve the majority of society so that every single parent contributes significantly more money and time to their child's sports than before. Yes, money too, because neither the state nor the clubs have enough, but together – together with the parents – we have enough.}

_{Then we can leave the professionals to do what they are really trained and capable of doing. You can be sure that the results will improve. The system must be in place, but without the support of the family, it is difficult to reach the top. This is also true in the wider world: Serena and Venus Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Naomi Osaka, David Beckham, Michael Phelps, Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi, and Novak Djokovic are just a few examples. Or from Estonia: Tanel Leok, Kristina Šmigun, Henry Sildaru, Anett Kontaveit, and Rasmus Mägi. When it comes to cycling, you don't have to look far for examples: Jaan Kirsipuu (father Rein), Martin Loo (father Heiki), Janika Lõiv (husband Urmas), Mari-Liis Mõttus (father Tarmo).}

Artikkel avaldaldatud Postimehes 19. jaanuar 2026
Foto: Jaan Kirsipuu (avaldatud tema loal)