An event for athletes, parents and coaches

“The main aim is to bring athletes, parents and coaches together in one place,” says Jorma Kemppainen of the national athletics federation who leads the programme, “everyone is welcome to attend.”

Athletes participate in a competition programme while parents and coaches attend lectures on sport related topics and meet informally to share experiences. Some of the competition events are shown on national TV.

In 2008 more than 3700 people, including newcomers to the sport as well as the country’s elite athletes and top coaches, took part in 10 carnival locations.

Each carnival is organised by a local athletics club and is focused on one athletics discipline. Normally they take place over a three-day weekend.

Kemppainen explains that the success of the programme relies on “good coordination and cooperation between federation, clubs and community services.”

The federation promotes the idea, organises the educational side, invites the coaches and pays for them. Clubs have overall financial responsibility and organize accommodation, food and other local facilities. Cities give the venues free, and sometimes a small amount of financial support. Some clubs also find local sponsors.

“We feel it is a good model of cooperation,” says Kemppainen. “We do this project mainly with voluntary work. We believe it’s a system that is not found anywhere else.”

In 2005, with a grant from the European Athletics Support Programme, the carnivals were opened to participants from outside Finland. Kemppainen says the he is hoping to have more international athletes and coaches attend in the future.

“In Finland, athletics is in tough competition with football and ice hockey for the attention of young people, funding and human resources,” says Kemppainen, “but despite that, many carnivals of the past have been full, and need more space to expand.

“We find they are an excellent way of attracting youngsters and, hopefully, creating the beginnings of a deep involvement with track and field.”