DOCSLIB.ORG

American Football Players in Finland: the Cultural Differences

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
American Football Players in Finland: the Cultural Differences American football players in Finland: The cultural differences Mikael Viljanen Bachelor’s thesis 2019 Summary Author Mikael Viljanen Degree programme Liiketalouden koulutusohjelma (Eng. Bachelors of Business Administrations) The title of the thesis Pages American football players in Finland: The cultural differences 43 + 33 The goal for this research was to discover and analyze the cultural differences between Finnish and American cultures, more specifically between Finnish and American athletes playing American football in Finland. This was done by interviewing American athletes who have played American football in Finland as professional import players. The interview the writer held was a qualitative open-ended question interview and was conducted to five American athletes who have played American football in Finland. The framework for this thesis is earlier cross-cultural research about Finland and United States. The writer uses the cultural dimension theories by cross-cultural researchers Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars to research about the ways in which the two research groups could be culturally different. Despite Finnish and American culture are perceived quite similar to each other in the theo- retical framework of this thesis, this thesis did find out there is distinctive differences be- tween Finnish and American culture according to the research interviews. The cultural dif- ferences are mostly in the cultural dimensions of power distance, individualism, masculin- ity, specificness and affectiveness of the researched Finnish and American cultures. This thesis explains what each of these cultural dimensions stand for, as well as explaining the theory of cultural dimensions in general. An important background difference between the two research groups is that the game of American football is played very differently in Finland and in United States. The writer demonstrates in the beginning of this thesis that in which ways is the game of American football different in Finland and in United States. This thesis was conducted between October 2018 and April 2019. The writer is a Bache- lor’s of Business Administrations student, specializing in International Business. The writer has over eight years of experience in American football, five of these years playing in a multi-cultural American football team including Finnish and American players. With this the- sis, the writer wants to give his contribution to the field of cross-cultural management and cross-cultural understanding by researching about the cultural differences of Finnish and American culture by doing the research to a field he’s familiar with. Key words cross-cultural management, cultural dimensions, international business, sports manage- ment, American football Table of Contents 1 Introduction................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Research problem, research sub-problems and framework ................................. 1 1.2 Writer’s background ............................................................................................ 2 1.3 The contents of this thesis and key terms ............................................................ 3 2 Analysis of the case subject – American football.......................................................... 4 2.1 American football as a sport ................................................................................ 4 2.2 American football in United States ....................................................................... 5 2.3 American football in Finland ................................................................................ 5 3 Cultural analysis ......................................................................................................... 7 3.1 Significance of cross-cultural management.......................................................... 7 3.2 Defining “culture” in the context of this thesis ....................................................... 7 3.3 Cultural dimensions ............................................................................................ 8 3.4 Cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede ............................................................... 8 3.4.1 Power distance ........................................................................................ 9 3.4.2 Individualism (by Geert Hofstede) ............................................................. 9 3.4.3 Long-term orientation ............................................................................. 10 3.4.4 Uncertainty avoidance ............................................................................ 10 3.4.5 Masculinity ............................................................................................. 11 3.4.6 Indulgence ............................................................................................. 11 3.5 Cultural dimensions by Fons Trompenaars........................................................ 12 3.5.1 Universalistic and particularistic cultures ................................................. 12 3.5.2 Individualistic and communitarianistic cultures (by Trompenaars) ............ 12 3.5.3 Affective and neutral cultures ................................................................. 13 3.5.4 Specific and diffuse cultures ................................................................... 13 3.5.5 Achievement and ascription cultures....................................................... 14 3.5.6 Sequential and synchronic cultures ........................................................ 14 3.5.7 Inner and outer direction......................................................................... 15 3.6 The overview of Finnish and American culture through cultural dimensions........ 15 3.7 Business practicalities in both cultures .............................................................. 17 3.7.1 Business practicalities in Finland ............................................................ 17 3.7.2 Business practicalities in United States ................................................... 18 4 The field research ..................................................................................................... 19 4.1 The method of the research .............................................................................. 19 4.2 The interview questions .................................................................................... 20 4.3 The implementation of research and analysis of the results ............................... 24 5 Results of the field research ...................................................................................... 26 5.1 Research sub-problems and corresponding cultural dimensions ........................ 26 5.2 Background information of the interviewees ...................................................... 27 5.3 Power Distance in both cultures ........................................................................ 28 5.4 Masculinity in both cultures ............................................................................... 30 5.5 Individualism in both cultures ............................................................................ 32 5.6 Long-term orientation in both cultures ............................................................... 33 5.7 Uncertainty avoidance in both cultures .............................................................. 34 5.8 How specific are both cultures........................................................................... 36 5.9 How affective are both cultures ......................................................................... 37 6 Conclusions .............................................................................................................. 39 6.1 Reliability and validity........................................................................................ 39 6.2 Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 40 6.3 Project management and own reflection ............................................................ 42 Sources ........................................................................................................................ 44 Appendix 1 – The research interviews ............................................................................. 1 1 Introduction In the first chapter of this thesis, the research topic will be introduced and explained. The research problem and its sub-problems will be introduced as well as the general frame- work that will be used throughout this thesis. 1.1 Research problem, research sub-problems and framework The main research problem of this thesis is following: “How are Finnish American football teams and players culturally different to American teams and players”? This question will be answered by interviewing athletes that have played American football both in Finland and in United States and by comparing the data to how Finnish and American culture are perceived in the theoretical framework. The framework for the cultural aspects in this thesis will be the cultural dimensions theory by the experts of cross-cultural management: Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaars. Both of their cultural dimensions theories will be used to create a base on how Finnish and American players are expected to think and behave, according to the previous cross- cultural research. The results of the interviews in this thesis will be compared to how Trompenaars’ and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Case, Jyväskylä, FINLAND
    THE ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF USERS ON INDOOR FOOTBALL FACILITIES AND CONTINIOUS TRAINING PLACES: Case, Jyväskylä, FINLAND Gökhan Ates Bachelor’s Thesis May 2014 Degree Programme in Facility Management School of Business and Services Management DESCRIPTION Author(s) Type of publication Date Gökhan Ates Bachelor´s Thesis 12.05.2014 Pages Language 59 English Permission for web publication ( X ) Title THE ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF USERS ON INDOOR FOOTBALL FACILITIES AND CONTINIOUS TRAINING PLACES: Case Jyväskylä, FINLAND Degree Programme in Facility Management Tutor(s) Simon Kay-Jones Assigned by Abstract The objective of the research was to find out the attitudes and perception of users on how to adopt Finnish football facilities to permanent training places for players to increase the quality of Finnish football. It is known that football is not the number one sport in Finland because of long winter break that makes it challenging for football to play on the outside pitches. The goal was to find out football players’ and experts` perspective whether indoor football facilities could improve the quality of Finnish football or not. The findings might lead to football players being provided with indoor pitches. After that, the quality and ability of Finnish players could be improved, which could, eventually, have positive effects on national team. The study was based on qualitative research method. Thus, a survey questionnaire was sent to football players and interview with experts in order to gather reliable information. And, also different analysis methods such as `blueprints` and `service journeys` were used in the research process. Participants were Finnish and international people who are related to the central Finnish football industry.
    [Show full text]
  • Junior Football Club's Financing in Finland – Case: Mikkelin Kissat C-Juniors
    Janne Väre Junior Football Club's Financing in Finland – Case: Mikkelin Kissat C-Juniors University of Jyväskylä Department of Sport Sciences Master’s Thesis Sport Planning and Administration Spring 2008 UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ Department of Sport Sciences / Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences VÄRE, JANNE Junior Football Club’s Financing in Finland – Case: Mikkelin Kissat C-Juniors ABSTRACT Master’s Thesis, 59 pages, 11 Appendices pages Sport Planning and Administration 2008 Football is the most popular sport among children and youth aged 3 – 18 years in Finland. A considerable proportion of Finnish children and youth also participate in the activities of football clubs. Financing a club has become a challenging task and several kinds of sources are needed. After the differentiation of sport in Finland, voluntary work has had a key role in sport club operation. This research focuses on financing a youth football club in Finland. The research is a case study concentrated on Mikkelin Kissat C-juniors (ages 14 - 15) team as an example. Mikkelin Kissat represents a typical Finnish football club with a major focus on junior operation. In general, it is a great example of how junior clubs operate in Finland and this makes the club a good target for this study. How a junior football club finance its operation and how does the club spend the income it gets are the main points studied. Another issue is to discuss about the idea of professionalizing voluntary work done in sport clubs. It has been speculated that sports clubs need more full-time workers to meet the increasing demand for quality of the operation of the clubs.
    [Show full text]
  • Universite Catholique De Louvain
    UNIVERSITÉ CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN INSTITUT DES SCIENCES DU TRAVAIL STUDY ON THE REPRESENTATIVENESS OF THE SOCIAL PARTNER ORGANISATIONS IN THE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS SECTOR PROJECT NO VC/2004/0547 February 2006 Research project conducted on behalf of the Employment and Social Affairs DG of the European Commission STAFF WORKING ON THIS STUDY Author of the report Alexandre CHAIDRON, researcher Cécile Arnould, researcher Coordinators Prof. Armand SPINEUX and Prof. Evelyne LEONARD Research Team Prof. Bernard FUSULIER Prof. Pierre REMAN Delphine ROCHET, researcher Isabelle VANDENBUSSCHE, researcher Administrative co-ordination Myriam CHEVIGNE Network of National Experts Austria: Franz Traxler, Institut für Soziologie – Universität Wien. Belgium: Jean Vandewattyne, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Cyprus: Savvas Katsikides, Maria Modestou and Evros I. Demetriades, Department of Social and Political Science - University of Cyprus Czech Republic: Ales Kroupa and Jaroslav Helena, Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs - Charles University of Prague Denmark: Carsten.Jorgensen, Forskningscenter for Arbejdsmarkeds- og Organisationsstudier, FAOS – Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen Estonia: Kaia Philips and Raul Eamets, University of Tartu 2 Finland: Pekka Ylostalo, University of Helsinki, Department of Sociology France: Solveig Grimault, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris Germany: Dieter Sadowski, Catharina Leilich, Dana Liebmann, Oliver Ludewig, Mihai Paunescu, Martin Schneider and Susanne Warning, Institut für Arbeitsrecht und Arbeitsbeziehungen in der Europäischen Gemeinschaft, IAAEG - Universität Trier Greece: Aliki Mouriki, National Center for Social Research – Athens Hungary: Csaba Makó, Institute of Sociology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Ireland: Pauline Conroy and Niamh Murphy, Ralaheen Ltd Italy: Franca Alacevich and Andrea Bellini, Università degli studi di Firenze – Dipartemento di scienza della politica e sociologia politica.
    [Show full text]
  • GFL Kalender 36
    Nr. 33/19 13.08.2019 www.football-aktuell.de eHUDDLE 33/19 13. August 2019 GFL Kalender 36 Mercenaries können Comets nicht stoppen 3 NFL Zehnte Südmeisterschaft gesichert 4 Quinns Agent meckert 38 Lions Bollwerk hält gegen Dresden 6 Kritik an der NFL 38 Kiel reduziert Hildesheim auf 21 Punkte 8 Eagles verlieren und verlieren Backup-QB 39 Dukes zähmen Wildkatzen erneut 10 Erfolgreiches Debüt 40 Sieg nach Puntfestival 12 Broncos verpflichten Ex-Lion Riddick 40 GFL 2 St.-Brown-Touchdown leitet Sieg ein 42 Die Kritiker verstummen lassen 42 Fans und Head Coach sind begeistert 15 Ein Blick in die Zukunft 43 Paladins auch im zweiten Derby sieglos 16 Neue Männer braucht New England 43 Viel Arbeit für Detroit 43 Griffins müssen sich geschlagen geben 18 Kasim Edebalis siebte Station 44 Komfortable Situation für Elmshorn 19 Ein neuer Cornerback für die Chiefs 44 Regionalligen NFL Flag Football in Hamburg 45 Neuzugang mit gebrochener Hand 45 Oldenburg lässt Chancen ungenutzt 23 Angriff der Chiefs schon wieder in Fahrt 46 News Ein Corner statt eines Receivers 46 Invaders rüsten für Spitzenspiel 23 Wenig Aussagekraft auf beiden Seiten 47 McLaurin überzeugt 47 Meisterschaft nach Aufholjagd 24 Steelers starten mit Sieg in Preseason 48 Saisonfinale im Deutschordenstadion 25 Ravens mit bekannter Formel zum Sieg 48 Invaders zum ersten Mal in GFL-Playoffs 26 Browns in großartiger Frühform 49 U19 verpasst den Junior Bowl 26 Texans verstärken Backfield 49 Wiesbaden gewinnt Halbfinale in Berlin 27 Das Tight End-Projekt ist gescheitert 50 Schweden ringt Britannien
    [Show full text]
  • BASL Vol 15 2
    VOLUME 15 · ISSUE 2 · 2007 sport and the law journal ISSUE 2 VOLUME 15 SPORT AND THE LAW JOURNAL Editor British Association for Sport and Law Limited Simon Gardiner c/o The School of Law, King’s College London Strand, London WC2R 2LS Editorial Board Telephone: 020 7848 2278, Fax: 020 7848 2788 Dr Hazel Hartley Murrey Rosen QC www.britishsportslaw.org Dr Richard Parrish Jonathan Taylor Martin Matthews Registered Office Registered in England. Company No. 4947540. Directors Registered Office: 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields Michael Beloff QC: President London WC2A 3LH. Mel Goldberg: Chairman VAT Reg No. 673 5989 73 Paul Harris: Deputy Chairman Gerry Boon: Hon. Treasurer ISSN 1353-0127 Serena Hedley-Dent: Hon. Secretary Darren Bailey Graphic design Morris Bentata www.heliographic.co.uk Nick Bitel Stephen Boyd Sara Friend Edward Grayson Jane Mulcahy Walter Nichols Murray Rosen QC Sam Rush Jonathan Taylor Maurice Watkins VOLUME 15 · ISSUE 2 · 2007 Contents Editorial 2 Opinion and Practice Interview with Michael Beloff QC 4 Stephen Boyd Annual Review of Football Finance 2007 11 Highlights Sports Business Group at Deloitte Analysis On the front foot against corruption 16 Simon Gardiner and Urvasi Naidoo Sport Governance and EU legal order: 28 Present and future Professor Melchior Wathelet Survey and Reports Sports Law Foreign Update 43 Walter Cairns 1 ISSUE 2 VOLUME 15 SPORT AND THE LAW JOURNAL Editorial By Simon Gardiner, Editor This issue of the Sport and the Law Journal concerns a Subsequently, in March 2007, the European Parliament number of on-going and current topics. The Opinion and adopted a resolution on “The Future of Professional Practice section provides an interview with the Right Football in Europe”, the content of which was partly Hon.
    [Show full text]
  • Country Report Finland
    Coping Strategies and Regional Policies – Social Capital in the Nordic Peripheries – Country report Finland Esko Lehto Nordregio 2002 Nordregio Working Paper 2002:7 ISSN 1403-2511 Nordregio - the Nordic Centre for Spatial Development PO Box 1658 S-111 86 Stockholm, Sweden Tel. +46 8 463 5400, fax: +46 8 463 54 01 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.nordregio.se Nordic co-operation takes place among the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as well as the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. The Nordic Council is a forum for co-operation between the Nordic parliaments and governments. The Council consists of 87 parlia- mentarians from the Nordic countries. The Nordic Council takes policy initiatives and monitors Nordic co-operation. Founded in 1952. The Nordic Council of Ministers is a forum for co-operation between the Nordic governments. The Nordic Council of Ministers implements Nordic co- operation. The prime ministers have the overall responsibility. Its activities are co-ordinated by the Nordic ministers for co-operation, the Nordic Committee for co-operation and portfolio ministers. Founded in 1971. Stockholm, Sweden 2002 Preface This country report is one of five country reports (Nordregio working papers) of the research project Coping Strategies and Regional Policies, Social Capital in Nordic Peripheries. The research includes fieldwork during 2001 in Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden and Finland, two localities per country, two projects per locality. The project was co-operatively conducted by researchers from the University of Iceland (Reykjavik), the Research Centre on Local and Regional Development (Klaksvík, Faroes), the Swedish Agricultural University (Uppsala), the University of Joensuu (Finland) and Roskilde University (Denmark).
    [Show full text]
  • Lajimielikuvatutkimus Amerikkalaisesta Jalkapallosta Case: Suomen Amerikkalaisen Jalkapallon Liitto
    Lajimielikuvatutkimus amerikkalaisesta jalkapallosta Case: Suomen Amerikkalaisen Jalkapallon Liitto Enni Jäntti Opinnäytetyö Marraskuu 2019 Liiketalouden ala Tradenomi (AMK), liiketalous Kuvailulehti Tekijä(t) Julkaisun laji Päivämäärä Jäntti, Enni Opinnäytetyö, AMK Marraskuu 2019 Sivumäärä Julkaisun kieli 55 Suomi Verkkojulkaisulupa myönnetty: x Työn nimi Lajimielikuvatutkimus amerikkalaisesta jalkapallosta Case: Suomen Amerikkalaisen Jalkapallon Liitto Tutkinto-ohjelma Liiketalouden koulutusohjelma Työn ohjaaja(t) Mari Karjalainen Toimeksiantaja(t) Suomen Amerikkalaisen Jalkapallon Liitto Tiivistelmä Tässä tutkimuksessa haluttiin selvittää 15–35-vuotiaiden nuorten ja nuorten aikuisten mielikuvaa amerikkalaisesta jalkapallosta. Lisäksi tutkittiin, mitkä sosiaalisen median kanavat ja millainen sisältö tavoittavat kohderyhmän parhaiten. Tutkimuksen toimeksiantajana toimi Suomen Amerikkalaisen Jalkapallon Liitto. Amerikkalaisen jalkapallon historia on Suomessa lyhyt, eikä se ole kovin laajasti tunnettu laji. Tutkimusongelmana oli kuinka kehittää sosiaalisen median avulla amerikkalaisen jalkapallon imagoa 15–35-vuotiaiden keskuudessa lajin katsoja- ja harrastajamäärien lisäämiseksi. Teoreettinen viitekehys käsitteli mielikuvan muodostumista, brändiä, urheilumarkkinointia ja sosiaalisen median markkinointia. Tutkimus toteutettiin kvantitatiivisena tutkimuksena Webropol-kyselynä elo- ja syyskuun aikana 2019. Kyselyyn saatiin 165 vastausta, jotka analysointiin Excel-ohjelman ja SPSS-ohjelman avulla. Analyyseissä käytettiin suurimmaksi osaksi
    [Show full text]
  • Uefa Euro 2008
    Expect emotions Info-Guide Impressum Publisher Euro 2008 SA Headquarters Route de St.-Cergue 9 1260 Nyon 1 Switzerland Tel.: +41 (0) 848 00 2008 Fax: +41 (0) 848 01 2008 Translation UEFA Language Services Design The Works Ltd. / Leeds (England) Layout/Setting team2graphics / Helsingør (Denmark) Printing ATAR Roto Press SA / Vernier (Switzerland) Photos: Keystone, GEPA, Action Images, L’Equipe, EMPICS, Terry Linke, Euro 2008 SA, UEFA 2 Contents 4 Editorial – Expect emotions 6 UEFA EURO 2008™ – Facts and figures 7 Countdown 8 Distances and travel times 10 UEFA EURO 2008™ match schedule 12 The stadiums 14 The finals 15 The winning captains The champion coaches 16 Attendances 17 Numbers games from 2004 in Portugal 18 Brief portraits of the host countries 22 The two host associations 26 The organisers 27 The Board of Administration 32 Tasks of Euro 2008 SA 33 The Management Board 36 EURO ABC – from A for accommodation to Z for Zurich 70 Contact details The Henri Delaunay trophy and EUROPASS, the official UEFA EURO 2008™ match ball. 3 Expect emotions The official UEFA EURO 2008™ slogan, expect emotions, describes in a nutshell what the 2008 European Championship has to offer: emotions that are felt by everyone alike – be they fans, players, coaches, referees, officials or organisers. Over a million spectators will flock to the 31 matches in the eight stadiums. Many millions will celebrate on the streets and in the official fan zones. Eight billion (cumulative) television viewers will share the excitement on screen. UEFA EURO 2008™ is by far the biggest sports event ever to take place in Austria and Switzerland.
    [Show full text]
  • Scandinavian Women's Football Goes Global – a Cross-National Study Of
    Scandinavian women’s football goes global – A cross-national study of sport labour migration as challenge and opportunity for Nordic civil society Project relevance Women‟s football stands out as an important subject for sports studies as well as social sciences for various reasons. First of all women‟s football is an important social phenomenon that has seen steady growth in all Nordic countries.1 Historically, the Scandinavian countries have been pioneers for women‟s football, and today Scandinavia forms a centre for women‟s football globally.2 During the last decades an increasing number of female players from various countries have migrated to Scandinavian football clubs. Secondly the novel development of immigration into Scandinavian women‟s football is an intriguing example of the ways in which processes of globalization, professionalization and commercialization provide new challenges and opportunities for the Nordic civil society model of sports. According to this model sports are organised in local clubs, driven by volunteers, and built on ideals such as contributing to social cohesion in society.3 The question is now whether this civil society model is simply disappearing, or there are interesting lessons to be drawn from the ways in which local football clubs enter the global market, combine voluntarism and professionalism, idealism and commercialism and integrate new groups in the clubs? Thirdly, even if migrant players stay only temporarily in Scandinavian women‟s football clubs, their stay can create new challenges with regard to their integration into Nordic civil society. For participants, fans and politicians alike, sport appears to have an important role to play in the success or failure of the integration of migrant groups.4 Unsuccessful integration of foreign players can lead to xenophobic feelings, where the „foreigner‟ is seen as an intruder that pollutes the close social cohesion on a sports team or in a club.
    [Show full text]
  • Vuosikertomus 2018
    Suomen Olympiakomitea Vuosikertomus 2018 Suomen Olympiakomitea on valtakunnallinen liikunta- ja urheilujärjestö, joka toimii sen hyväksi, että suomalaiset liikkuisivat enemmän ja menestyisivät huippu-urheilussa. Yhdessä jäsenjärjestöjemme ja Liikunnan Aluejärjestöjen kanssa rakennamme liikunnasta ja urheilusta elinvoimaa Suomeen. 2 K Huip is puv at U aih rheil e uak en at o Liikunnan ja em h i je ao lm urheilun kansalais- h a je lm järjestötoiminta a Liikunnallisen elämän tavan edistäminen S koko väestön tasolla euratoiminta Arvomme: Yhdessä – Ilolla – Kunnioittavasti – Vastuullisesti – Erinomaisesti 3 Valtionavustus tulee 87 Vuosibudjetti Rahoitus: jäsenjärjestöä, valtionavustus rahapelitoiminnan 57 noin 25 (68 %) ja tuotoista opetus- ja työntekijää 11 oma varainhankinta kulttuuriministeriön kumppanuusjäsentä sekä miljoonaa euroa (32 %) jakamana neljä henkilöjäsentä Missiomme Visiomme Arvomme Liikunnasta Maailman Yhdessä ja urheilusta liikkuvin ja Ilolla elinvoimaa Pohjoismaiden Kunnioittavasti Suomeen menestyvin Vastuullisesti urheilukansa Erinomaisesti 4 Sisällys 1. Meidän vuotemme 2018 . 6 2. Olympiakomitean vuosi 2018..........................................................8 3. The Finnish Olympic Committee in Brief...............................................10 4. Lisää liikettä ........................................................................11 4.1 Elinvoimainen seuratoiminta.................................................12 4.2 Lasten ja nuorten liike.......................................................14 4.3 Aikuisten
    [Show full text]
  • ANNUAL REPORT 2 | Messages and Voices Messages and Voices | 3
    2015 ANNUAL REPORT 2 | Messages and Voices Messages and Voices | 3 “Betting fraud is the new threat to sport world- There is quite wide. With its education and training courses, consultations and information events, Play a lot to say about Fair Code is creating broad awareness of the threats of match-fixing. It is helping us protect the issue of our athletes and defend the integrity of sport.” match-fixing! Gerald KLUG AUSTRIAN MINISTER OF SPORT “People love to watch sports “We not only succeeded in organising nearly “Fairness and integrity are sport’s most im- 100 training and education courses aimed at portant attributes, and crucial prerequisites if because they don’t know our core target audiences in 2015; we also we want competitive sport to remain attrac- played an important role on the international tive – and that goes not just for spectators, stage once again, as a model for best prac- but also for the athletes themselves. Play Fair how it’s going to end!” tice. Play Fair Code has some extremely Code is playing a hugely important role in pre- Sepp Herberger exciting challenges facing it in the future, venting match-fixing in Austria, and by doing Former manager, German national football team especially the Council of Europe’s recent so, keeping sport clean, the way we all want it. Convention on the Manipulation of Sports That’s why I shall be continuing to work side- Competitions and the National Platform being by-side with Play Fair Code in 2016.” set up.” Günter KALTENBRUNNER Dietmar HOSCHER PRESIDENT, PLAY FAIR CODE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, CASINOS AUSTRIA „It has been a good thing to remind our-selves of this issue once again; it’s incre-dible just what vast sums of money the betting mafia are dealing with.
    [Show full text]
  • HELSINKI, FINLAND and IWG Secretariat and Co-Chair 2010–2014
    Application to host the 6th IWG World Conference on Women and Sport 2014 in HELSINKI, FINLAND and IWG Secretariat and Co-Chair 2010–2014 Finnish Sports Federation, Finnish Ministry of Education, City of Helsinki City of Espoo, City of Vantaa Helsinki Convention Bureau, Finland Convention Bureau Empower women in sport today: harvest the fruits tomorrow Picture: Eero Venhola, Picture: Paul Williams, Finlandia Hall City of Helsinki Tourist & Convention Bureau Good Morning my Dear Friend! Look around – yes, you are in Helsinki, Finland, and the water you see behind you is Töölönlahti. It is a bay in the middle of the cultural and sports center of our capital. For us it is like a living room especially this time of the year, But it is worth knowing that if you turn again, you will June, when the sun sleeps for just a couple of hours a day also see the sport centre of Helsinki; the Olympic Stadium – if even that! in which the Olympic Games were held in 1952, the Ice Sta- Turn round a bit. Can you see the white marble building? dium, which has hosted many big championships including That is Finlandia Hall designed by architect Alvar Aalto. It is the European Championships of Basketball in 1967. There is where our Conference is going to be held. Yes, you are right also the Eläintarha Stadium where Paavo Nurmi ran during – the Conference of Security and Cooperation in Europe was his best years. held in this very same building in 1975. In Finland we are This Töölönlahti area is where we love to walk and run, proud to hear world leaders speak about “the spirit of Hel- be romantic and enjoy the culture.
    [Show full text]