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Kuva Puolustusvoimat

Military Sports

Find out about the Defence Forces' physical training and competitive sports.

This website is intended for conscripts and Defence Forces' personnel. It also contains a lot of information and material that citizens, physical education teachers and instructors, coaches and students interested in sports will appreciate.

The material on these pages is freely available for non-commercial purposes. The source - the Finnish Defence Forces' military sports website - and Internet address must be cited.

Content relating to research and development in military sports can be found at the Defence Forces' Research website.

Finland's biggest fitness centre

The Defence Forces offer all people the possibility of creating their own personal fitness programme using the MarsMars service. By following the three-month fitness regime beforehand, new recruits are physically better prepared for undergoing military service. The service is open to anyone who wants to increase their physical fitness in their day-to-day life.

During military service, the proportion of physical training takes up almost half of the time used for training. The aim is for conscripts to use physical education to find ways to maintain an active lifestyle throughout the period of liability for military service until they leave the reserve.

According to law, Defence Forces' salaried personnel are obligated to take care of their working and functional capacity. From the point of view of emergency conditions, a working culture that maintains and develops field fitness also promotes fitness in society in general.

Follow Finnish Defence Forces military sports in social media: #sotilasliikunta, #marsmars and #suomensuurinkuntokoulu.

Competitions

The Defence Forces support national coaching activities and competitive sports by organizing national and international sports events.

Competitive sports activities maintain high standards in coaching, organizing sports events and teaching in individual sports. This also supports the production of capable troops.

Military sports are an important part of the Defence Forces' competition activities. The Finnish Military Sport Federation arranges championships in 16 events, including e.g. biathlon orienteering, floorball and military bench press. The Defence Forces annually arrange military Finnish championships. Championship events include among others military pentathlon, orienteering and skiing.

The Defence Forces' teams participate in World Military Championships arranged by the International Military Sports Council (CISM), in Military Nordic Championships and other international military competitions and marching events.

We publish invitations to international military sports competitions in Finland on this website.

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