14.11.2025
Finland’s national bidding strategy moves forward – Key insights from the Lahti workshop with sports federations
The national bidding strategy for international sporting events in Finland is progressing. On 13 November 2025, around 50 representatives from sports federations and cities gathered in Lahti for a joint workshop.
The workshop, held at the Lahti Sports Centre, was the second in the strategic process. Its objective was to hear especially from sports federations; to clarify the current landscape, identify key resources, and build a shared understanding of how Finland can, in the long term, strengthen its position as a host of international sporting events.
The discussions were exceptionally open and practical. Throughout the day, several shared themes and development areas emerged, including:
- the roles and responsibilities of sports federations, cities, and the government
- more active sharing and systematic utilisation of expertise across sports and organisational boundaries
- integrating international standards into city infrastructure planning and construction
- strengthening influence and networks within international sports bodies
- developing fan culture as well as community-building and experiential engagement
- the need for an expert unit to support the national bidding ecosystem
- defining the scale and potential of future events in Finland, including opportunities for joint Nordic bids
- recognising events as a unified industry, understanding their impact, and broadening the funding base
The strategy work continues throughout late 2025 under the guidance of the project and steering groups, ahead of the next workshop scheduled for mid-January. An even broader group of stakeholders will be invited: cities, municipalities, venues, sports federations, major event organisers, and other sector actors – all of whom have an essential voice in shaping the strategy.
“A warm thank you to Tapahtumateollisuus for the excellent facilitation. As a project partner, we at SEMF would also like to thank everyone who took part in the Lahti workshop for your valuable insights, which help move this strategic work forward step by step”, says Jani Backman, the Project Manager of Sport Event Management Finland.
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Read more about the strategy work here.
Read the news in Finnish here.