The Prime Minister and his spouse, Mervi Katainen, will aim to attend competitions in which Finns take part.

On Saturday, the premier will invite the athletes to a coffee reception to convey official state encouragement to the team. Katainen will travel back to Finland the following day.

President Sauli Niinistö has also cheered on the Finnish team, attending the opening ceremony last Friday and returning to Finland on Tuesday.

The Finns have yet to win a medal, but sailor Tuuli Petäjä performed well in Wednesday’s women's sailing RS-X Race, which bumped her up to 5th place in the ranking.

In men’s sailing competitions, Lauri Lehtinen and Kalle Bask came in 6th and 8th place respectively in the 49er race. They are now placed 13th overall. They need to rise to 10th place in the next four races to advance to the medal round.