Laurea becomes the first higher education institution to join the Finnish Student Sports Federation

On Tuesday 27 May, Laurea University of Applied Sciences became the first official university member of the Finnish Student Sports Federation (OLL), following the approval of its membership application by the Federation’s board.

OLL President Akseli Haanpää welcomes Laurea to the membership community:

– Laurea’s membership is a great first step in building a university membership base. It also strengthens the development of our member services, enabling us to better support university communities in promoting a physically active culture, sports services, and competitive sports. It is especially meaningful that both Laurea University of Applied Sciences and the student union Laureamko are now working side by side as members to promote student physical activity, Haanpää says.

Jouni Koski, President and CEO of Laurea, is pleased with the new membership and sees it as a valuable opportunity to enhance students’ physical activity and overall wellbeing through cooperation.

– I hope that together with the Students' Sports Association, we can more effectively advance the student culture of physical activity. We want to encourage our students to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines, as we know regular exercise has a significant impact on one’s state of alertness and on learning outcomes, Koski says.

Hanna Oskarsson, Chair of the Board of the Laurea University of Applied Sciences’ student union Laureamko, also welcomes the decision:

– We are pleased that the university has decided to become the first university member of the Finnish Student Sports Federation. We are already collaborating with Laurea to promote physical activity among university students, and we believe that the membership will bring the federation’s expertise to support decision-making.

The opportunity for universities to join OLL as full members became possible through changes to the Federation’s rules in 2024, the year of its 100th anniversary. Previously, some universities participated as cooperation members. With this new membership model, OLL aims to unite the entire higher education sector in building more active and sporty universities. As a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee, OLL also represents the higher education field within Finland’s wider sport and physical activity community.

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