Kiimingin Urheilijat received the Pohjola Award of Hyvä Seura (Good Sports Club), worth 10,000, euros, in Suomen Urheilugaala (Finland's Sports Gala) on 10 January 2011. This award is annually given to sports clubs in recognition of their invaluable and highly effective efforts in sports club activities.
Kiimingin Urheilijat is a large, highly active all-round sports club with 1,500 members in a small municipality with a population of 13,000. The club is involved in the Finnish baseball, cross-country skiing, volleyball, orienteering, group training and athletics, for example. It is a sports club rich in tradition which operates on a wide front in a versatile and ambitious manner its sections are passionate about further developing their activities.
KiimU has enthusiasm and boasts the spirit of voluntary work, as evidenced by the fact that the club building burned down due to arson in 2006 and a new building was in service well over one year after the fire. In addition, last year saw the completion of a multi-purpose building which is also available to the municipality, schools and other clubs and associations. The club has a gym housed within the building. KiimU's premises are important to both the club itself and the entire municipality, because the municipality's financial resources and opportunities to provide services for physical activity are not as good as in other municipalities in the region.
In recognition of grass-root level sports club activities
The characteristics of a good sports club (Hyvä Seura), defined together by sports organisations, are used as the criteria for awards, highlighting Fair Play values and an inspiring leadership and operating culture that enhances the spirit of togetherness. Good sports clubs may come in various forms. Depending on the club, it may emphasise competitive or world-class sports, activities for children and youngsters, keep-fit exercise and exercise for health promotion for adults, exercise with the family or special physical training.
"The work done by sports clubs is valuable, considering that physical exercise promotes both physical and mental wellbeing in a variety of ways. Sports club activities are based on work characterised by collectivism and done at local level," points out Jouko Pölönen, President of Pohjola Insurance Ltd.
"The Pohjola Award serves as direct financial support for sports clubs. With this Award, we want to thank club workers and volunteers for their valuable work and highlight the grass-root level efforts of clubs with more than one million Finns as members. I really appreciate the fact that Pohjola Insurance wants to make such a significant and tangible contribution to Finnish sports club activities," says Timo Laitinen, President of the Finnish Sports Federation.
With this award, Pohjola and the Finnish Sports Federation (FSF) together with Finland's Sports Gala, FSF's regional organisations and national sports associations aim to highlight the grass-root level efforts of clubs with more than one million Finns as members.
In addition to this first prize given in cooperation with Finland's Sports Gala, Pohjola grants its regional Pohjola Award to 16 clubs. These awards will be given in cooperation with the regional organisations of the Finnish Sports Federation during spring 2011.
Kiimingin Urheilijat:
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All-round sports club based in Kiiminki
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Sports: Cross-country skiing, volleyball, Finnish baseball, orienteering, group training and athletics
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Year of establishment: 1938
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Number of members: 1,500
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Chairman: Aila Postareff-Jurvelin
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More information on the club:www. kiimu.fi