Kainuu has a long tradition as an organizer of large orienteering events, for example in 2013 the province hosted the World Championships. According to the leader of Jukola’s relay, Vuokatti challenges every participant.
Sanna Kähkönen,
Jarmo Nuotio
The world’s largest orienteering event Jukola’s message will land in Kainuu for the first time in 2027. The new event locations were decided today. In 2028, orienteers will come to Espoo.
The Kainuu event will be organized in Sotkamo in cooperation between Vuokatti Sport and Urheiluseura Sotkamo Jymy.
The areas of responsibility for the event applied for by the co-operation are divided so that Sotkamon’s Jymy is responsible for the planning and implementation of the event’s technical competition arrangements. Vuokatti Sport is responsible for the planning and implementation of the event’s other support functions, such as security, traffic and restaurant operations.
CEO of Vuokatti Sport Mari Varjonen is satisfied with the decision. The selection is of great importance to the entire business life of Kainuu, because the event brings a lot of people and visibility. At its best, the event gathers around 20,000 participants.
– This is an insanely great thing for us. This has been searched for, desired and a lot of work has already been done so far.
Work will be done in the future to get accommodation for everyone, even though the orienteers stay in tents a lot. Varjonen says that the organizing team has thought about the areas of the competition venue so that everyone can stay.
– Well, we have accommodation, and in the Jukola year there will be much more when, for example, there will be new hotels.
As a province, Kainuu has a long tradition of orienteering. Kainuu Rastiviikko has provided a credible basis for organizing orienteering events.
– We received compliments on the fact that we are a well-known event organizer and that we have almost all the construction ready. Everything is also nearby.
Jukola relay competition director Jyrki Uotila states that he has circulated Jukola’s messages for almost 50 years.
– After all, it’s a great thing, already because the competitions are organized for the first time in Kainuu. These are even bigger in terms of size compared to the MM orienteering in 2013.
The future competition director is sure that there is enough space in Vuokatti. He has drawn the region’s possibilities for organizing the Jukola relay since the 2013 World Orienteering Championships.
Uotila plans, for example, the sand cloths surrounding the Sports Center as tent sites. The washing stations are also almost ready for commissioning. Optical fiber is also available for the results service.
He doesn’t even think about the possible traffic jams of the event.
– It’s just better when the place is suitably dense. It creates a good atmosphere.
The entire changing area of the Sports University’s soccer field will also not cause a headache, even though up to 20,000 athletes move around it during the event.
– I don’t feel that this will turn out to be a mess. There is enough space on the field. Departure is by road. The area between the field and the Vuokatti Arena is dedicated to the public.
The right to organize Jukola’s relay was already granted to Kainuu once
Jukola’s message travels around Finland in various terrains. This year’s Jukola will be raced next weekend in Porvoo.
Other events of the following years will be organized in 2024 in Kauhava, 2025 in Mikkeli and 2026 in Kotka.
The 2027 Jukola relay is 78th in order, and the Venloje relay running in the same connection is 49th in order.
There are four provinces in Finland where the event has never been seen: Åland, Kainuu, Central Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia. Kainuu was once even granted the right to organize, but it was given up before the event could be organized.
Kainuu still has a tradition of organizing large orienteering events. In 2013, Vuokatti was the organizer of the world championships.
The annual Kainuu Rastiviikko is contested from the 2nd to the 7th. July in Kuhmo’s Jämäsvaara for the 55th time.
Organizing events has also affected the finances of the parties responsible for them. Jymy Sotkamon, who is responsible for the upcoming Jukola Viest, had a joint budget with Kainuu Rastiviiko in the WC summer 2013. The result was a loss of 100,000 euros.
At that time, reported how the orienteering events organized by Sotkamo Jymy in Vuokatti, the World Championships and the Kainu Rastiviikko, were in the red due to the lack of main supporters, Rastiviikki’s participation fee settlements, and staff costs.
Based on recent selection information, Vuokatti Sport CEO Mari Varjonen takes a stand on past years as well. He emphasizes that financial discipline and planning must be maintained. It happens by avoiding big changes at the last minute, by doing things together and in good time.
– Now Jukola’s management team is very strongly involved in this and we get help from there. Yes, we will get through this.
Added on 15.6.2023 at 13:05 competition director’s comments and picture.