20.02.2026
Lahti to host the 2029 Nordic Youth Sailing Championships (JNoM)
Lahti and Lahden Purjehdusseura (Lahti Sailing Club) have been awarded the right to host the 2029 Nordic Youth Sailing Championships (JNoM). The event will bring hundreds of young competitive sailors and their support teams to Lahti from across the Nordic and Baltic countries.
The championships will take place from 23 July to 5 August 2029 on Lake Vesijärvi’s Enonselkä basin, with the shore areas of Sibelius Hall and Lahti Passenger Harbour serving as the central event hub.
A major step forward for sailing in Lahti
The Nordic Youth Sailing Championships annually gather the best young sailors from across the Nordic region to compete for prestigious titles. The event represents a significant new milestone for Lahti and the local sailing community.
“Now we are taking a leap into an entirely new scale of event organisation,” says Pepe Korteniemi, Chair of the Sports Committee of Lahden Purjehdusseura.
Approximately 400–500 young sailors from Nordic and Baltic countries are expected to participate over the one- to two-week competition period.
Lahti Sailing Club has extensive experience in organising national-level sailing competitions and has successfully delivered numerous events over the years. Combined with the natural conditions of Enonselkä, this provides a strong foundation for hosting a high-level international championship.
The lake area enables the setup of three to four separate race courses simultaneously, while the infrastructure around Sibelius Hall and the passenger harbour supports an event of this scale both operationally and from a spectator perspective.
Competition classes and participants
The final class selection will be confirmed closer to the event, but typical classes in Nordic Youth Championships include:
- Optimist (girls and boys)
- Zoom8
- ILCA 4
- ILCA 6
- Europe
- RS Feva
- 29er
In some previous editions, additional classes, such as Techno 293 (windsurfing) and 420, have also been included.
Notably, the ILCA class is an Olympic sailing class, and the 29er is a youth pathway class towards the Olympic 49er class.
In total, the event is expected to attract 1,000–1,500 visitors to Lahti, including athletes, coaches, families and support teams.
Strong regional impact and tourism value
Raija Forsman, CEO of Visit Lahti (Lahti Region Oy), highlights the importance of the event from a regional development perspective:
“We are delighted to welcome a major international sailing event to Lahti and Lake Vesijärvi. From a tourism perspective, the competition is economically significant for the entire region. When this number of visitors arrives for an extended stay, valuable tourism revenue is generated for accommodation, restaurants and local services.”
Forsman also emphasises the broader destination impact:
“The event is important in strengthening the recognition of the Greater Päijänne lake district. The sailing championships provide an excellent platform to showcase the unique nature and waterways of Vesijärvi and Lake Päijänne – a connected water route extending all the way to Central Finland.”
A natural fit for Lahti
Aleksi Nyström, Director of Sports for the City of Lahti, notes that sailing is particularly well suited to Lahti and Vesijärvi:
“Sailing is in many ways a rare sport in that its competition venues largely exist naturally on the water. In Lahti, Vesijärvi and Enonselkä provide an excellent environment. When the organisers anchor the race buoys in place, the competition arena is essentially ready.”
He adds that the necessary shoreline infrastructure is largely already in place:
“When the harbour area was originally developed, the needs of sailing and sailing competitions were already taken into consideration. It is also highly valuable that such a traditional club as Lahden Purjehdusseura is actively developing sailing events in Lahti.”
Nordic cooperation and international framework
The Nordic Youth Sailing Championships are organised annually in different Nordic or Baltic countries.
- In 2025, the event was held in Tallinn, Estonia.
- In 2026, it will take place in Sweden at Tjörnbro Arena (Stenungsund).
The Nordic Sailing Federation, which includes Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, granted the hosting rights for 2029. The joint bid was submitted by City of Lahti, Lahti Region Oy (Visit Lahti) and Lahden Purjehdusseura, with support from the Finnish Sailing and Boating Federation.
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Source: Press release; City of Lahti, Visit Lahti and Lahden Purjehdusseura