WARSAW, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Finnish coach of Poland men's speed skating team Tuomas Nieminen announced on Monday that he will not extend his contract with the federation.
The Poles didn't take a medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics, but according to the federation, Nieminen did a great job.
"An era is coming to an end. I will not extend my contract. I spent a wonderful six years in the Polish team with many emotions. I am happy and proud of what we have achieved. We built a strong sprint team that climbed to the top of the world's elite. Now is the time for the family and new challenges," the 40-year-old said through social media on Monday.
"During the past season, we've heard that our cooperation may end. It was a conscious, mature decision from Tuomas. He has a family back home, he has worked in Poland for a long time and the longing for going back home was certainly one of the main factors," the Polish Speed Skating Federation's sport director Konrad Niedzwiedzki said.
"In the last year the team has developed a lot. We came back with medals from championship events or the World Cup, and only the podium at the Beijing Winter Olympics was missing," Niedzwiedzki added.
Nieminen's successor will be chosen during the federation's board meeting which is scheduled on April 23rd. ■