The Nordic challenge – getting people moving!

IAKS Nordic conference in Helsinki, Finland, 21–22 April 2026

Formal organised sport is strong, but everyday movement in our Nordic countries continues to decline.

• How do we get more people moving? What drives people towards self-organised movement and spontaneous physical activity?
• How can we better design and renovate facilities so that more people become more active?
• How can we use nature and various business models to lower the threshold and create long-term sustainable movement?
• Why does more organized sport not necessarily mean more movement and activity? What can we do to change this?

Meet Nordic colleagues; researchers, planners, architects, and operators from the Nordics and the UK. Listen to examples, reflect and discuss proposed solutions on how we can achieve the public health goals set by authorities, which we currently struggle to meet. 
Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor, Paavo Arhinmäki, will open the conference.

Tour of the Olympic Stadium

In connection with the conference, a tour of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium will be offered. The Olympic Stadium was built in the functionalist style and inaugurated in 1938 for the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were ultimately cancelled due to the Second World War. The first Olympics held at the arena was in 1952. During the 2000s, the arena underwent extensive renovation, which included the construction of an entirely new 20,000 m² underground section. 

Find out more in sb magazine 1/2021.