The Finnish sports system in transition

The art of balance: Indigenous sport governance between traditional government and self-governance

“…€42 million), municipalities (€19,5 million), sport institutes (€18 million), facilities (€28 million), elite sport (€12,5 million) and projects for increasing physical activity (€8 million) (Ministry of Education and Culture [OKM], 2021). The basic structure of the voluntary-based sport sector is similar to that found in other Nordic countries (Lehtonen and Mäkinen, 2020;Lehtonen et al, 2021). The sport clubsaround 10,000 with approximately 1.1 million membersform the backbone of organised grassroots-level sport, while simultaneously being members of national sport federations, which, in turn, are members of the National Olympic Committee.…”

A Strategy to Promote Gender Equality

“…As a Nordic society, the state has a guiding role that is often manifested through resource allocation and other soft power mechanisms (Norberg 1997). Moreover, as Lehtonen and Mäkinen (2020) have pointed out, even though the Finnish sport system is a mixed model of the state and the sport movement, the responsibility for implementing sport policy overall might have fallen into a desolate land without requirement to achieve specific goals.…”

“…One interpretation of this situation is the long reform process of sport's organisational environment and the continual identity seeking of the country's central sport organisation (Lehtonen 2017a). Over time, this has led to a situation where sport's central organisation has lost its effectiveness to be an influential implementer of sport policy actions (Lehtonen and Mäkinen 2020). However, comparing these latest policy influences, agents of change and drivers that occurred in the 2010s to the numerical data, we notice a slight shift from policy development to policy implementation (cf.…”

“…The role of sports organisations is to implement the sport policy. Because the system is not clearly controlled by either the state or the sport movement, the Finnish system is regarded as a mixed model consisting of these two key governing entities (Henry 2009;Lehtonen and Mäkinen 2020).…”

Understanding Gender (In)Equality in Leadership Positions in Sport

“…Pääasiallinen aineisto koostui dokumenttidatasta, kuten valtionhallinnon raporteista, aiemmista tutkimuksista ja muista julkisesti saatavilla olevista arkistoista ja lähteistä. Tutkimus vahvistaa käsitystä siitä, kuinka suomalainen liikunnan ja urheilun toimintaympäristö on muotoutunut erilaiseksi verrattaessa muihin Pohjoismaihin (Lehtonen & Mäkinen 2020). Suomessa valtion rooli urheilupolitiikan päättäjänä ja ohjaajana on suuri, erityisesti resurssiohjauksen myötä.…”