06.01.2023
Ruka Nordic wins the Northern Ostrobothnia Prize
The Regional Board of the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region has awarded the Northern Ostrobothnia Prize to Ruka Nordic.
The Northern Ostrobothnia Prize is awarded for life's work for the benefit of Northern Ostrobothnia or for work that has made Northern Ostrobothnia known and strengthened its identity.
Ruka Nordic is a ski jumping, combined and cross-country skiing World Cup competition in Ruka, Kuusamo. Kuusamon Erä-Veikot Ry is responsible for organizing Ruka Nordic and for the overall responsibility of the event.
In 2022, the competition was held for the 21st time. The event, which takes place on the last weekend of November, is attended annually by up to 400 athletes from around 30 different countries. The event attracts around 20,000 viewers, in addition to which it has an international TV coverage of around 90 to 110 million live viewers. The number of spectator contacts during the weekend is approximately 1.1 billion. This is a very valuable image for Kuusamo and Finland as a whole. Each year, the event leaves more than one million euros in Kuusamo's regional economy.
The key is the long-term nature of the event and the cooperation and reliability of the organisers. Extensive stakeholder cooperation at national and international level has ensured the continuity of the event. In 2022, Ruka Nordic gathered more than 800 officials to make one of Finland's largest sports events. A large number of students, volunteers from sports clubs and volunteers from all over Finland participated. The event employs and connects a wide range of companies, Regional Regional Assemblys, decision-makers and educational decision-making bodies in the Ruka area to the Kuusamo area. The event involves many side events and has become an event for ski professionals, enthusiasts and people of all ages to the city of Kuusamo.
Ruka Nordic has been a forerunner in responsible event organisation. In 2022, Ruka Nordic has mapped sustainability-related issues and collected information that can be used as a basis for the event to seek the Eco-mpanssi environmental certificate. As part of this process, Ruka Nordic aims to build its own environmental programme.
The prize is a miniature sculpture designed by sculptor Sanna Koivisto, which symbolizes the region of Northern Ostrobothnia. The award will be received by Matti Heikkilä, President of Kuusamo Erä-Veikot Ry, Jouko Manninen, Mayor of Kuusamo, and Ismo Hämäläinen, Executive Director of the Finnish Ski Regional Regional Assembly, at the Epiphany Reception organised by the Regional Assembly of Oulu Region on 6 January 2023. The prize is presented by Jussi Ylitalo, President of the the Board of the Regional Regional Assembly, and Pauli Harju, President of the the Board of the Regional Regional Assembly.
Previous wEnablers of the Northern Ostrobothnia Prize were Professor Seppo Säynäjäkangas 2005, Marketta Viitala 2006, Oulu Kärpät Oy 2007, Regional Counsellor Pentti Lampinen 2007, University of Oulu 2008, nature photographer, fil.tri h.c. Hannu Hautala 2009, Governor Eino Siuruainen 2010, M.Sc. (Tech.), Doctor of Science (Tech.), Juha Hulkko 2011, Airport Manager Pekka Mäntynen 2012, Organisational Counsellor Marja Irjala 2013, Conductor Timo Hannula 2014, Professor Anssi Paasi 2015, cartoonist Jari Elsilä 2016, Mayor Matti Pennanen 2017, Opera singer Soile Isokoski 2018, Industrial Counsellor Veijo Sydänmetsä 2019, Professor, Research Rector Taina Pihlajaniemi 2020, ice hockey player Lasse Kukkonen 2021 and journalist, columnist and non-fiction writer Helena Petäistö 2022.
Additional information:
Regional Assembly of Oulu Region, Regional Director Pauli Harju, tel. +358 400 389 152
Kuusamon Erä-Veikot Ry, Chairman Matti Heikkilä, tel. +358 400 280 421
