The Finnish Society of Sport Sciences
The Finnish Society of Sport Sciences (Liikuntatieteellinen Seura, LTS) was founded in 1933. We are a multidisciplinary association that works in the field of physical culture and sports. Our membership currently consists of over 1,000 members and about 50 community members.
The Finnish Society of Sport Sciences provides information on sports and promotes activities that call for scientific expertise in the areas of sport and health. The Society also serves as a channel of discussion and influence for all persons and communities interested in sport and health research and the background phenomena of physical activity and sports.
The objective of the Society is to promote physical activity, health and well-being among people living in Finland by means of Science Communication. The Society aims to transmit expert information pertaining to sport and health sciences to professionals and decision-makers as well as to ordinary citizens in order to assist them in making choices that promote their physical activity, health and well-being.
Our activities are summed up in three sets: organizing scientific seminars, conducting research-based evaluations and projects, and multi-channel science communication. The top products of our publishing activities are the Liikunta & Tiede magazine and the sports science books that we publish, as well as reports on research and projects. We mainly operate in Finnish.
We co-operate with scientific communities, the Ministry of Education and Culture, sport and health associations and other organisations that operate in the fields of physical culture and health. The members of the Finnish Society for Sport Sciences enjoy various member benefits including discounts on the publications and training seminars of the Society.
Our mission
The Finnish Society promotes physical activity, health and wellbeing among people living in Finland through science communication.
Enhancement of neighborhood
Changes in sports culture and the entire society have significant impact on physical activity and way of living among ordinary people. Daily physical activity have become diversified and gained differentiated characteristics. While a large proportion of the Finnish population has exercise frequently within a large variation of sports disciplines there are masses of people who have adopted an opposite attitude of avoiding physical strain in all forms. In addition, there is a systematic decrease in regular daily physical activity due to technical development of the entire society. These phenomena give space for the Finnish Society to focus on analyzing and interpreting the consequences of diversification and differentiation of the sports culture.
Sport and physical activity are a fundamental privilege for all and a determinant factor for one’s health and wellbeing. Favorable effects of daily physical activity warrant for utmost societal importance of sport and exercise in 2010’s. Even though there has been an improvement in status of public health with increasing life expectancy during the latest decenniums differences between social classes have remained unchanged or even increased. Diseases caused by unfavorable manners of living are increasing. Physical, mental and social health as well as performance capacity of people can be improved by proper execution of physical activity. The rapid increase in the proportion of 65-year old population emphasizes that it is necessary for the whole population to maintain one’s physical performance. Successful promotion of health and wellbeing requires frequent up-date of knowledge from sport and health sciences.
Floods of information and fragmentation of knowledge hinder clear visioning of scientific achievements and their practical applications. Scientific knowledge either will not meet with practitioners or will not support decision making. Furthermore, the State administration has transferred its responsibilities of providing citizens with wellbeing services to the Municipalities which in turn have burdened their citizens and non-governmental organizations. Thus this responsibility has become everybody’s job which nobody seems to care of. There is an increasing need for the Finnish Society of Sport Sciences to present visions and carry on discussion on policies around sport, sport science and wellbeing in Finland. The science communication offered by the Finnish Society of Sport Sciences is thus urgently needed.
Vision
The Finnish Society is the central actor for science communication and for promotion of expertise in sports.
Values
Effectiveness: Client oriented science communication will effect on decision making at all levels
Transparency: The information is openly accessible
Partnership: The Finnish Society is a reliable partner and encourage collaboration between all parties
Tolerance: The science communication is pluralistic and polyphonic
Equality: The science communication takes all parties into account impartially and objectively
Means: The Finnish Society will attain its visionary goals through its members, permanent staff, research network and partners.
The following strategic means will be employed
In Research & Development the Finnish Society makes scientific knowledge of sport and its applications known and available to all interested parties, societal organizations and to the entire society. The Finnish Society practices necessary applied research and development activities as well as encourages collaboration and co-operation between researchers in Finland.
In Science Communication the Finnish Society supports its members, experts, researchers and other interested parties in the area of sport and health sciences to develop their expertise and know-how by interpretation of scientific knowledge and distribution of information. The Finnish Society also promotes networking among professionals and researchers and supports the application of scientific knowledge and its results in the many practical areas of sport.
In Advocacy the Finnish Society presents visions and carries on discussion on policies around sport, sport science and wellbeing in Finland as well as promotes collaboration and good practices in partnership with governmental and non-governmental organizations.