News from Finland

FOUNDATIONS OF ADAPTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN FINLAND
Kari Koivumaki
Administrator ofAdapted
Physical Activity
Tel. +358-9-1341 7381 Fax. +358-9-1341 6991

August 2001 (pdf format)

January 2001 (pdf format)

October 2000

In the Ministry of Education there has been a national committee of APA specialists since 1982. This committee is re-grouped every four years after national parliamentary elections. The committee is a sub-committee for National Sports Council. This committee (and especially its sub-group of education and research) acts as a THENAPA co-operative body in Finland.

In this group -led by professor of APA Pauli Rintala from the University of Jyväskylä - there are members from several schools of higher education (fields of physical education and physiotherapy) and from the biggest organisation of the country for the sport for the disabled. The secretary of the group is the administrator of adapted physical activity in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Kari Koivumäki.

The tasks of this sub-committee of adapted physical activity are as follows:

* it makes initiatives and adjustments to develop the condition of APA

* it gives statements on various subjects inside APA

* it organisises further education in co-operation with various organisations of the field

* it coordinates the education of the field

* it participates to the international co-operation of the field

* it advances APA in municipalities, federations and association and institutions

* it acts as a contact body of information between governing bodies and between institutions and federations and associations of the field

There is an article in the Sports Act (1998), that regulates the functioning of this sub-committee.

The sub-committee of adapted physical activity has a meeting approximately eight times a year. It´s sub-group of education and research in APA has a meeting appr. six times a year. To all meetings, the Ministry of Education pays the travel costs. All in all, the Ministry of Education is a great sponsor for our work at the field of APA in Finland.

Finally, I´d like to mention some persons (and their institutions), who have contributed significantly to this THENAPA network at national level (in addition to those mentioned before): chief inspector Pirkko Virtanen (National Board of Education), professor Pilvikki Heikinaro-Johansson (University of Jyväskylä), APA lecturer Pirkko Karvonen (University of Jyväskylä), head of education Aija Saari (The Finnish Association of Sports for the Disabled and language teacher Kai Mäkelä (Lahti Polytechnic, Pajulahti Institute of Sports).