FINNISH SPORTS INSTITUTES

The nationwide network of sports institutes in Finland consists of 12 national educational sports institutions around the country. Sports Institutes are educational organizations, training centers for elite athletes and leisure centers for the public. 

Sports Institutes are the only schools granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture to offer education for a vocational degree in the sports field in Finland. These institutes organize courses for Vocational Qualification in Sports Instruction and sports related further vocational education. Non-formal education in the sports field offered by the institutions consists of sports camps for children and youth, the promotion of adults’ and elderlies’ health and wellbeing, courses striving to maintain and improve working ability and of sport performance centers.

Sport performance centers are all-encompassing coaching and development units. Training centers offer pedagogic coaching knowledge and skills, different supporting services for elite sports, training facilities, tests for athletes, recovery tracking services for athlete development and support for coaching. 

Sports Institutes have a meaningful role of promoting exercise and sport culture, creating coaching knowledge and combining education and sport. The pedagogical education of Sport Institutes developed originally from physical education (started in 1901) and the expertise and knowledge in sport science. Education and coaching are developed in a cooperation with the Sport Institutes and other organisations such as the Ministry of Education and Culture, Finnish National Agency for Education, the Finnish Olympic Committee and the Finnish Paralympic Committee.