The Sports and Wellbeing Committee approved the 2026 operation plan for Sports and Exercise
In accordance with the objectives of the council term and the Espoo liikkuu 2040 programme, the city will invest in sports for children and young people in 2026 by developing swimming instruction and local sports facilities, for example.
The Sports and Wellbeing Committee held a meeting on 22 January 2026.
In 2026, new artificial ice rinks will be built in Leppävaara and Kalajärvi. Community projects will bring more artificial turf on football fields and improve the Latokaski sports hall and field with partners such as local sports clubs and resident associations. A new disc golf course will be built in Ämmäsmäki and the safety of beaches will be improved.
The principles of sports grants granted to clubs and associations will be reformed. The purpose of the grants is to prevent the rise of hobby costs for children and young people. The plan is to start the new grant system from the beginning of 2027. The reform will be built together with clubs and associations.
Swimming instruction will be developed together with basic education in Finnish and Swedish and early childhood education and care. The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted separate funding of 258,000 euros for the development of swimming instruction. In addition, swimming instruction will be provided during the women-only hours at the Keski-Espoo swimming pool.
For its part, the Sports and Exercise unit invests in employing young people and offers young people training opportunities and first work experiences through summer jobs, for example.
Residents can influence decision-making through discussions on the Voxit platform
The Sports and Wellbeing Committee took note of the EsVoxit project in Espoo, which is co-financed by Sitra. The project pilots the use of the digital Voxit engagement platform. On the platform, Espoo organises discussions in which residents can vote for statements and add their own statements on the selected topics of discussion.
The Voxit participation platform provides information on residents’ views and the matters they agree or disagree on. The discussions and their results are used to support decision-making. Learn more about the Voxit engagement platform and view the results of past discussions and the topics of future discussions.
In addition, the changes to the prices of seasonal products at swimming pools and gyms that were decided at the last meeting were made to the price list for sports and exercise, and the Committee processed claims for rectification and decisions by public officials.
Read more about the decisions(external link, opens in a new window) made during the meeting (in Finnish).