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 create 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 sport and organized athletics 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 to 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 is built in the functionalist style and was 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.

Why join?
The conference ‘Getting people moving!’ offers a unique opportunity to engage in comprehensive discussions with Nordic colleagues. This conference is designed for attendees to participate in discussions and to take home concrete ideas, examples, and new contacts for the work back home.

Who will join?
The conference is particularly valuable for those working with sports issues, urban development, public health, as well as those responsible for sports facilities, who wish to reduce the gap between organised sport and declining everyday physical activity.

The programme and registration details will be presented in January 2026. Save the date!