Joensuu’s Mehtimäki offers a unique environment where training, studying and everyday life are seamlessly combined. The training venues are located right in the centre of Joensuu and the city’s services are easily accessible. Short distances make Joensuu an easy “city of a quarter hour” for athletes. Joensuu is also a community where athletes are known and their work is appreciated. The sense of community creates a supportive atmosphere that supports daily development both on and off the field.

In Joensuu, combining sports and studying is an excellent success. Joensuu Sports Academy enables the combination of sports and education from lower secondary school all the way to higher education and supports young athletes’ success in sports, studies, and other areas of life. Sports schools in junior high school (Lyseo primary school), and in upper secondary school (Riveria vocational education and Joensuu Yhteiskoulu sports high school) as well as a top sports-friendly university (University of Eastern Finland) make it possible for athletes to have a high-quality everyday life and a smooth dual career.

Mehtimäki is one of the most diverse sports areas in Finland. 15 training sites within a kilometer radius provide excellent conditions for year-round training.

Another strength of the area is the newly developed TestLab Mehtimäki: Finland’s most diverse and modern testing environment, which operates centrally in the Joensuu Areena. It is one of the country’s leading coaching data collection points, and provides up-to-date information on athlete performance and development. TestLab serves as an important learning and development platform for athletes, coaches and students in the field of sports.

The Training Center’s operations are based on researched knowledge and high expertise. Mehtimäki Training Center offers versatile coaching and expert services for athletes, coaches and goal-oriented exercisers. The range of services includes:

• Physical coaching
• Individual coaching
• Sports physiotherapy
• Psychological coaching
• Coaching consulting
• Testing services
• Expert lectures

The aim of the services is to support the development, well-being and performance of athletes at different levels – from everyday life to top sports.

Cooperation with ISLO and the Joensuu Sports Academy enables the efficient utilization of coaching and expert work resources, which are targeted according to the needs of athletes and clubs. The activities are continuously developed in cooperation with sports operators, educational institutions and clubs in the region, so that coaching and the athlete’s everyday life can develop comprehensively.

The coaching center also carries out research, development and innovation (RDI) work, which combines research knowledge with the practical development of sports and coaching. The goal is to develop new methods to strengthen coaching expertise, testing and comprehensive support for athletes, and thus increase the vitality of sports in Joensuu and Eastern Finland as a whole.