Social media users have loved the sight of Antti Koskinen and the Finnish Winter Olympic squad knitting, for the second Winter Olympics in a row

Why the Finnish squad are knitting at the Winter Olympics … again

The head coach of Finland’s snowboarders, Antti Koskinen, became a social media sensation this week when he was seen knitting at the top of the run in Pyeongchang during the Winter Olympics.

But this is not the first time that Finnish Olympians have got their knitting needles out in competition. Koskinen caused a similar stir in 2014 at Sochi.

Shelby-Jai Flick (@ShelbyJaiFlick) The Finnish coach is KNITTING at the top of the slopestyle course. Someone please find out what this man is making!!!#PyongChang2018 #snowboard pic.twitter.com/Nr87YBJ2lf

In 2014, the team said they were working together to knit a scarf to hand over to Finland’s summer Olympic team for 2016 summer games in Rio. Not that it’s entirely clear why you would have needed a scarf in Brazil.

Finland’s Antti Koskinen spotted knitting in Sochi in 2014 Photograph: Twitter/GraceWen

This time there’s a very different cause the team are knitting for – a blanket for the Finnish president’s child.

Olympic Team Finland (@OlympicTeamFI) We are #knitting again 😀 In Sochi we made a huge scarf, this time we are knitting a blanket for our presidential couple’s newborn son. 💙🇫🇮#olympicteamfi #knittingteamfi #pyeongchang2018 #olympics #olympialaiset #pyeongchangfi pic.twitter.com/mwKLgh1h2j

President Sauli Niinisto’s wife Jenni Haukio gave birth to the couple’s first child on 2 February.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and spouse Jenni Haukio leave hospital with their new baby boy in Helsinki Photograph: Emmi Korhonen/AFP/Getty Images

“Everyone is knitting a little square, and then we will join them together” explained Koskinen. The coach said that around half of the 102-strong Finnish team were knitting at these Games.

He also said that the habit also helps him during competitions. “It has become something of a hobby for me. I mean I do it every four years … it is a nice, Finnish thing … it means no unnecessary chit-chat is needed.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Antti Koskinen, snowboard head coach and snowboarder Roope Tonteri gave a news conference about the knitting on Valentine’s Day Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

One of Finland’s snowboarders, Enni Rukajärvi, took enough of a break from the knitting to win the bronze medal in the slopestyle competition in Pyeongchang.