Sport refers to coaching, sports and their supporting activities and technology, as well as inclusive events with experiences and other creative activities around this business. Sport is also an attitude, so for example tourism or well-being can be seen through sport. Sport is promoted in many ways in Päijät-Häme. It’s seen as a characteristic that makes the region more attractive. An attractive region attracts residents, businesses, and visitors, who contribute to the vitality, prosperity and well-being of the region. (Päijät-Häme Regional Strategy 2021)
![[Alt text: Lahti's famous ski-jumping hills at night with audience and flags.]](https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/842_2024_Paijat-Hame-wants-to-be-the-forerunner-of-sport_1-1024x638.jpg)
The most visible development work is in RDI activities, with many different projects supporting the sports sector both nationally and internationally. In addition to the projects, permanent solutions have also been implemented in Päijät-Häme to promote Sport spearhead and, in particular, internationalisation. E.g. Lahti Sports Hub brings together actors and innovations in the sports sector and provides a unique meeting place for combining expertise, networking and innovation on a single platform. Several dozen companies are already involved in the Hub, supported by a number of education, research and other organisations. (Lahti Sports Hub 2024) Also different sport events (e.g. Salpausselkä games) bring a lot of tourisms to Lahti region. Events increase the region’s vitality.
Sport actors co-operate in the region and interregional
Päijät-Häme is involved in the Interreg Europe funded project, ACTIVE ID (2024), which promotes networking and peer learning. The project promotes innovative growth and competitiveness in the EU sport and leisure sector. In particular, the project supports cooperation between different stakeholders and regions of the EU. ACTIVE ID specifically focuses on the key drivers of smart specialisation and the promotion of sport at policy/government level (LAB 2024).
Smart specialisation is based on the idea that each region has its own strengths. The smart specialisation strategy seeks to develop the existing strengths of the region, especially into international business. This requires that the leaders of smart specialisation have an existing RDI and business base and the ability to develop into international value networks (Päijät-Häme’s Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021).
![[Alt text: ten persons at the table smiling.]](https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/10/842_2024_Paijat-Hame-wants-to-be-the-forerunner-of-sport_2-1024x586.jpg)
ACTIVE ID invited Päijät-Häme’s sport and leisure stakeholders together in September. The stakeholder co-operation work promotes the co-development skills of Päijät-Häme’s sport and leisure stakeholders and strengthens the already existing ecosystem into a more cohesive whole. During the first year of the project, an analysis of the current state of the regions and a collection of good practices will be carried out. Päijät-Häme will also reflect on its own situation and mirror it with other regions. This process of introspection will open up views on the state of sport and leisure in the region, but the most rewarding part of the work will certainly be the feedback and comments from other partners, as well as personal experiences from study visits.
With the ACTIVE ID project, Päijät-Häme will further expand its international networks, as the project includes partners from Bulgaria, Spain, the Netherlands and Sweden. Päijät-Häme will also get experience the different good practices that are being developed around sport in other countries.
Author
Kirsi Kiiskinen, RDI specialist in the Wellbeing Unit of LAB University of Applied Sciences, is the project manager of the ACTIVE ID project.
References
ACTIVE ID 2024. Project website. Cited 10 Oct 2024. Available at https://www.interregeurope.eu/active-id
LAB. 2024. Activating Citizens Towards healthy lifestyles In Vital EU-regions with Innovative Data-driven solutions. Project website. Cited 10 Oct 2024. Available at https://lab.fi/fi/projekti/activeid
Lahti Sports Hub. 2024. Cited 10 Oct 2024. Available at https://www.lahtisportshub.fi/
Päijät-Häme Regional Strategy. 2021. Päijät-Häme Regional Strategy 2022‒2025. Cited 10 Oct 2024. Available at https://paijat-hame.fi/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/130422Maakuntastrategia_2022-2025.pdf
Päijät-Häme’s Smart Specialisation Strategy. 2021. Cited 10 Oct 2024. Available at https://paijat-hame.fi/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/030122_Alykkaan_erikoistumisen_strategia_karjet.pdf
