General Assembly: University students have their situation in common, not their age – this must be acknowledged in exercise promotion

“The next Government must recognise that university studies is a life stage which is not tied to a particular age. In the debate on sports policy, all students in higher education cannot be lumped together into one age group: all young people are not students, and all students are not young,” says Jasmin Tuominen, OLL’s newly elected President for 2027.

It is not enough to focus on exercise promotion by age group. Alongside young people and people of a working age, we must also acknowledge students, whose physical activity and ability to study is influenced by various routes in society. All universities are required to offer sports services, and these are not based on age, but life situation. Higher education as a life situation that is unrelated to age is already recognised in most other service channels; student healthcare, student housing and the subsidised student meals do not have age limits, but are offered to all students.

All parliamentary parties have committed to increasing physical functional capacity by 15 percent across all age groups by 2040. The Vision for higher education and research, published this year, also aims to increase the education level in the same time frame, which makes the promotion of the ability to study an issue that relates to an even larger number of people.

OLL’s General Assembly demands that university students must be recognised in the legislation as a target group for the promotion of an active lifestyle alongside other groups of pupils and students. This way higher education would be acknowledged in the lifelong promotion of physical activity and the ability to study and work. A legislative entry would expand the role and impact of universities in the improvement of physical functional capacity in a long-term way.

More information:
President for 2027 Jasmin Tuominen +358 40 809 8943