The exhibition “Promoting Diversity in Finnish Sports” opened in May 2025 in TAHTO Center for Finnish Sports Culture in Helsinki. It was produced in a collaboration between TAHTO and the CENS research initiative Integration and Empowerment: Organized Sports and Newcomers in Finland (2022-2025), funded by the Kone Foundation. The persons responsible for the exhibition from CENS are Malte Gasche and Sami Koskelainen.
In the interview series featured in “Promoting Diversity in Finnish Sports” six coaches and sports stakeholders — who have worked, or continue to work, in Finnish sports and represent its diversity — share their personal insights about their careers and the world of Finnish sports. Of the disciplines represented in the exhibition, four are team sports — football, basketball, ice hockey, and handball — which are also some of Finland’s most popular sports. The two individual sports covered in the exhibition are ski orienteering and combat sports.
The exhibition and interviews impressively demonstrate the diversity of Finnish sports practicioners at the grassroots level and how coaches, officials and leaders from different backgrounds and experiences enrich Finnish sports. We hope that it inspires sports organizations, policymakers, and communities across Finland to reflect on their practices and to embrace the full potential of diverse, inclusive, and equitable sports environments.
“Promoting Diversity in Finnish Sports” is part of the broader exhibition “Sport Unites” at TAHTO (Urheilu yhdistää -projektin näyttelyt ovat valmistuneet - Tahto). The exhibition is available both in Finnish (link) and English (link). The physical exhibition can be visited at TAHTO until Sunday, August 17, 2025.