Training Center Payulahti

Foundation of Payulahti, 1929

Foundation of the sports institute 1929-1951

The origin of the sports institute dates back to the early 1920s, when the women's gymnastics section of the Workers' Sports Union of Finland, founded in 1919, expressed the idea of ​​establishing its own sports center. Funds for the project were raised during the 1920s, but its construction was delayed until the spring of 1929, when the union made a positive decision to establish a sports center. For these purposes, respectively, a plot was purchased in Nastola , which already had a main building and a sauna. ^[ten]

The construction of a new residential complex, the center begins to work year-round.

At first, Payulahti only worked in the summer. He became a training center for leaders of women's sports sections and groups, and also worked as a recreation center. The problem in the first years of its existence was insufficient funding; there was not enough domestic funds. Nevertheless, the center built its own gymnasium in 1937, and previously a swimming pool was opened. About 10 years Payulahti served exclusively as a women's sports center, but after the opening of the gymnasium, courses for men were also opened there.

The activities of the Workers' Sports Union of Finland intensified after the Second World War . The Union has launched a large-scale fundraising project with the goal of building a new sports institute. The fundraising was successful, but instead of the new institute, it was finally decided to expand the existing facilities in Payulahti. The new institute building was completed by 1949. ^{[11] [12]}

The development of the center −1951-1962.

Payulahti began training and coaching sports instructors with government funding.

In 1952, the Workers' Sports Union of Finland decided to separate Payulahti into an independent unit. Land and buildings were transferred to the Fund of the Sports Institute, to which they belong now.

The 1950s were a period of repair and construction, with the goal of expansion. In 1950 and 1951, new housing estates for the Institute employees, a student dormitory and a new sports ground were built. ^{[12] [13]}

Payulahti 1970-1996

The next period of active growth of the sports center took place in the 1970s, when Payulakhti received a new main building with halls for ball games and a preparatory swimming pool. And also additional residential buildings were built. In the late 1980s, the main building was expanded, an indoor tennis center and a new residential block for students appeared. ^[14] In the early 1990s, sports fields were paved with artificial turf.

And in 1989, the Ministry of Education identified four sports universities that were designated as national training centers. Payulahti is on this list. ^{[12] [15]}

Payulahti Training Center 1996 - Our Time

The biggest changes occurred in the early 1990s, Payulahti received the status of an independent organization. After changes in the tax laws of Finland. The foundation of the sports institute, which funded grants for sports education, decided to avoid a situation in which it would be involved in taxable business operations. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Payulahti was formed into a limited liability company, Valtakunnallinnen valmennus and liikuntakeskus Oy ^[16] in 1996. ^[17]

After this, Payulahti experienced a real construction boom. From the late 1990s and the next ten years, the construction of an ice arena, a swimming pool with 25 m lanes, a residential complex, and a sports hall were completed. ^{[18] [19]}

In 2001, the Ministry of Education of Finland identified 13 major educational institutions, among which Payulahti was included, for training specialists in primary sports vocational education and training. ^[20]

In 2002, the main building was again expanded when the construction of the restaurant was completed. In 2010, the “Payahlahti Hall” was opened, a sports hall with 11,000 m², mainly used by football players and athletes. ^[21]

Since 2006, Lasse Mikkelsson has been acting as Director General and Rector of Payulahti. Director of the sports and training center since 2007 and deputy general director since 2011 - Mikko Levola.

July 2014 - Finnish Minister of Culture and Housing Policy Pia Viitanen laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new residential complex in Payulahti, which is specifically designed for athletes with disabilities. ^[22]

In 2015, the Payulahti Sports Institute together with 5 other sports schools in Finland ( Finnish. Kisakallion Urheiluopisto , Finnish. Kuortaneen Urheiluopisto , Finnish. Tanhuvaaran Urheiluopisto , Finnish. Varalan Urheiluopisto and Finnish. Vuokatin Urheiluinopinginfo ). ^[23]

On November 27, 2015, Payulahti became the holder of the official status of the Olympic Sports and Training Center, as well as the only Olympic and Paralympic Training and Sports Center in Finland. ^{[24] [25] [26]}

Held

• Pajulahti Games 2012 ^[27]
• Pajulahti Games 2013 ^{[28] [29]}
• Pajulahti Games 2014 ^[30]
• Pajulahti Games 2015 ^{[31] [32]} - Muscovites won as part of the Russian women's volleyball team sitting ^{[33] [34]}
• The all-season hockey tournament “Payulakhti Cup” ^[35] - the Cup winners: 2000 - Severstal (Cherepovets), 2001 - Metallurg (Novokuznetsk), 2002 - Lokomotiv , 2003 - Salavat Yulaev , 2004 - Lada (Tolyatti), 2005 - CSKA , 2006 - Severstal , 2007 - Hockey Club Atlant . ^{[36] [37]}
• 2015 IWRF European Championship Wheelchair Rugby Group A - September 13–20, 2015. ^{[38] [39] [40]}

The sports center actively cooperates with the National Olympic Committee of Finland , the Paralympic Committee of Finland ^[41] and the Olympic Sports Research Institute . Jointly works with national and international sports federations and sports clubs of such sports as football, hockey, tennis, athletics, judo, freestyle wrestling, karate, boxing, American football, badminton, etc.