Research areas
Contact information
- KIHU - Research Institute for Olympic Sports
- Rautpohjankatu 6
- 40700 Jyväskylä
- Finland
- Tel: +358 20 781 1500
- Fax: +358 20 781 1501
- Business ID: 1574321-0
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Sport Sociology
The objective of KIHU's research in sport sociology is to interpret sports as a phenomenon from a social perspective. The sociologist is a kind of "jack-of-all-trades" within the field of social sciences. The role of sport sociology is multifaceted and reacts to changes within the field.
Through research in sport sociology we aim at
- analysing the social changes and implications of sports
- investigating the organization of elite sports
KIHU's research activities in sport sociology have a solid foundation on the competence of the Department of Sport Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä. The joint project of KIHU and the University "The Impact of Helsinki World Championships in Athletics on Civic Activity" was completed in 2006. The results of the project were published on various forums.
Service activities
The purpose of KIHU's service projects, targeted at the grass-root level of sports, is to produce information which helps our customers in directing their activities and supports them in decision-making. In practice, the projects mostly consist of follow-up or evaluation of projects or programmes through the application of questionnaire, interview and content analysis methods.
Examples of KIHU's service projects in sport sociology:
- Follow-up of the youth programme of the Finnish Olympic Committee 2000 - 2005
- Evaluation of the programme promoting physical activity in children and youth 1999 - 2003
- Electronic fact bank for elite sports
In our service projects we aim at continuous open collaboration with the customer, which means that the customer actively participates in the various stages of the project, particularly in planning and reporting. The service projects of sport sociology can be implemented both sport-specifically and as joint projects of several sports. KIHU's customers in sport sociology include e.g. the Finnish Olympic Committee, the Young Finland Association, and numerous sports associations.