China and Finland cooperate in Sport

Agreement Signed
18/07/2017 14:29

Representatives of the Beijing Sports University and the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, signed an agreement for collaborations aiming to strengthen the Beijing Sports University's winter sport excellence in several areas, namely in sport science, in the development of a winter sport industry and in the development of athletes.

Special winter sports skills are needed as China is preparing to host the XXIV Winter Olympic Games in Beijing 2022. The letter of intent was signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, Lasse Kannas, and Beijing Sports University Chancellor Cao Weidong. The signing was honored by the presence of the Prime Minister of China, Li Keqiang and the Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä.

In addition to this collaboration there is a close relationship between the China Sport Science Society CSSS) and the Finnish Society of Sport Sciences (FSSS). In late August the FSSS and the University of Jyväskylä will host the major National Conference on Sport Science in Jyväskylä to highlight Finland’s 100th Anniversary. The scientific programme will include a special Sino-Nordic Forum on Sports Science.

The connection of both national sport science societies, CSSS and FSSS, with ICSSPE is strong. Both societies are ICSSPE members and active collaborators. Thus, there is good reason to hope that the ICSSPE Network will also benefit from this new agreement.

Earlier this year in April Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, visited Finland. In late June Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipilä paid a visit to the cities of Beijing and Dalian in China aiming to further strengthen the Finnish-Chinese relations and promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Sipilä and Li Keqiang took the opportunity to discuss bilateral relations between the countries and other international questions. Several cooperation agreements between China and Finland were signed. Sport and Science had a prominent role in the programme while Prime Minister Sipilä was accompanied by a large delegation with representatives from Finnish Universities, Universities of Applied Sciences, Sports Institutes and Olympic training centers as well as some companies representing the sports industry.