03.08.2026
Sport Event Seminar in Jyväskylä highlighted the long-term commitment behind major events
Sport Event Management Finland (SEMF) and the City of Jyväskylä held the Sport Event Seminar for the second time on Friday, 31 July 2026, once again in connection with the Finnish round of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The day brought together a wide group of participants from across Finland, including cities, sports federations, clubs, and other organisations.
The seminar gathered perspectives on how the right conditions, expertise and collaboration make internationally impactful sports events possible and help them grow. The programme was built in two parts: an international morning session at the Paviljonki, where SEMF joined the Spark the Future forum organised around the rally, followed by an afternoon at Sataman Viilu focusing on venues, impact, and media opportunities.
If one theme ran through the whole day, it was long-term commitment. Most events are multi-year efforts long before they reach the international stage. The Hippos project in Jyväskylä, the 2025 Disc Golf World Championships in Tampere, and the Saimaa Cycle Tour in Imatra all illustrated this, as did the growth story of NEP Finland, the company behind the WRC’s television production, shared by CEO Marko Viitanen.
“What stayed with me most from the day’s discussions is that no major international sports event comes about by chance or overnight. Behind every one is a shared vision, long-term work, the courage to set goals, and the persistence to keep going, even when the first bid does not yet bring the result you hoped for. Sometimes the journey takes years, occasionally even decades. That is exactly why the successes feel so rewarding,” says Anna-Leena Sahindal, Director of Sports for the City of Jyväskylä.
Throughout the programme, the experts shared a common sense of passion and determination – a reminder of how much expertise and willingness to collaborate can be found across the Finnish sports-event field.
“It was great to see so many people from across the Finnish sports-event field together in Jyväskylä, many of them in the middle of the summer holiday season. Days like this show that major international events are built on long-term commitment and close cooperation between cities, federations, and organisers. A warm thank you belongs to our speakers, to our partners at the City of Jyväskylä, and to everyone who took part,” says Jani Backman, Project Director of Sport Event Management Finland.
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Photos: Touho Häkkinen