Finnish government proposes €850,000 support for bidding on 2030 European Athletics and hosting the 2029 Nordic Ski World Championships

The Finnish government has earmarked a total of €850,000 in its budget proposal to support two major events: Helsinki’s bid to host the 2030 European Athletics Championships and the organization of the 2029 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah announced the decision on Tuesday, explaining that the government intends to strengthen Finland’s ability to attract and stage major international sports events. According to Essayah, the support package covers both the European Athletics bid and Lahti’s preparations for the 2029 Nordic Ski World Championships.

The government said it is working on a systematic approach to bring flagship events to Finland and to develop a sustainable financing model for hosting them. The athletics bid and the potential staging of the championships are presented as a pilot for a new “Finnish model,” in which the state takes a more active role in acquiring and organizing the largest events.

Finnish Athletics Federation (Urheiluliitto) chair Riikka Pakarinen underlined that the core idea of the model is direct state participation in securing and delivering top-tier events. For the 2030 European Athletics Championships, Finland will compete with Zurich and Brussels. Lahti’s Nordic Worlds would add to the city’s long history of hosting the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.