Come and join us as a partner in Vuokatti-Jukola!

Vuokatti-Jukola 2027 is a top orienteering event organized by Sotkamon Jymy and Vuokatti Sport, which will arrive in Kainuu for the first time on June 19–20, 2026.

Approximately 30,000 people are expected to attend the Jukola weekend in Vuokatti, of which approximately 17–18,000 orienteers, fitness enthusiasts and first-time participants will participate in the relay races.

High-quality event arrangements require partnerships, as a unique relay orienteering competition of the size of Vuokatti-Jukola cannot be organized without partners of different sizes. Three different partnership levels can be used to tailor a suitable form of cooperation for each partner.

The advantages of a mass event like the Jukola Relay for an impressive partnership are a large number of participants and media attention. The organizers’ goal is to provide partners with new potential customers, says event director Sami Leinonen.

For example, the partners have a wide range of TV visibility, as Yle will be broadcasting the competitions live.

“Partnerships provide us with the backbone to successfully organise the event. We also want to develop other benefits for the partners than just visibility,” says Leinonen.

For example, the partnership can be combined with occupational wellbeing services at Vuokatti Sport, where partners can utilise a wide range of services and expertise in wellbeing and exercise.

Unique event upcoming in Kainuu

One of the significant partners of Vuokatti-Jukola is the municipality of Sotkamo, which has been involved since the application stage of the event. Together, the municipality, Sotkamon Jymy and Vuokatti Sport have significant experience in organising large events in the area.

In a municipality of around 10,000 inhabitants, a mass event always requires a joint effort from organisations, volunteers and all residents. When everyone is able to contribute to the event arrangements, it increases the residents’ experience of participation and wellbeing.

Come and join us as a partner in making this a unique event, the first Jukola Relay in Kainuu!

Contact

  • Sales and Marketing Manager Ella Valkeejärvi ella.valkeejarvi@vuokattisport.fi
  • Event Director Sami Leinonen sami.leinonen@jukola.fi

Vuokatti-Jukola brings together a top orienteering relay weekend and culture in Kainuu

A diverse Jukola Culture Week will be built around Vuokatti-Jukola, which will be held in June 2027. During the event week, visitors in Vuokatti and Sotkamo will be able to enjoy culture, sport and nature experiences.

According to Anu Korhonen, Cultural Coordinator for Vuokatti-Jukola, combining the traditional Jukola Relay with Kainuu’s local culture is a unique opportunity.

– Nature and culture together offer a wealth of experiences. We can bring them together into a wonderful package for Vuokatti-Jukola, Korhonen says.

 

The host municipality of Vuokatti-Jukola, Sotkamo—selected as Finland’s most active municipality in 2025—has invested heavily in developing local culture in recent years. The idea for the Vuokatti-Jukola Culture Week was inspired especially by the local author Veikko Huovinen, whose 100th anniversary will be celebrated in 2027.

T-shirts featuring a quote by Veikko Huovinen will be available for purchase in the spring through Vuokatti Sport and the Sotkamo municipal online store.

– The idea of hindsight from The Thinker of Havukka-aho, Konsta Pylkkänen, fits well with the mindset of orienteers too, Korhonen notes.

One of the goals of the Culture Week is to extend visitors’ stay through various side events. The detailed programme will be published in summer 2026 and will include highlights from other municipalities in Kainuu as well.

500 Days to Vuokatti-Jukola – Where Do We Stand Now

The months are passing quickly, and as of early February there are only 500 days left until the first Jukola weekend ever hosted in Kainuu, in Sotkamo.

Jessika Rolig, Head of Support Operations for Vuokatti-Jukola, says she is expecting an enormous event by Finnish and Kainuu standards when the orienteering community gathers in Vuokatti in June 2027. For Vuokatti Sport, the event is also a major undertaking in cooperation with Sotkamon Jymy.

“We have the opportunity to show what we can do after years of committed work in sports. It’s wonderful to bring the Jukola atmosphere to Vuokatti,” Rolig says.

Plans, agreements, and background preparations are now beginning to turn into concrete work in Vuokatti. According to Rolig, the long winter and late-arriving spring may pose challenges from the organizers’ perspective.

However, some functions related to the competition centre can already be built this year, and cooperation with educational institutions can also be utilized. Who knows—perhaps even the Jukola saunas will be heated before the end of the year.

“We need to be able to anticipate our work, even if the snow doesn’t melt until after May Day.”

 

Strong performance in Finland’s most active municipality

The Vuokatti-Jukola organizers are excited about the strength of the Jukola brand, especially after registration for the first phase of Kotka-Jukola opened with record numbers. They hope this momentum will carry into Vuokatti in the summer of 2027.

Rolig herself has competed in four Venla relays and has known the event since childhood. She believes the Jukola weekend will embrace the Vuokatti spirit through its activity and unique event area, as the hill landscapes and surrounding nature inspire people to move.

“Kainuu has its own special relationship with nature and physical activity,” Rolig says.

The host municipality Sotkamo was also named Finland’s most active municipality of 2025 in January.

Vuokatti-Jukola´s host, Sotkamo, is the Most Active Municipality of 2025

Sotkamo, the host municipality of the Jukola Relay 2027, has been selected as Finland’s Most Active Municipality of 2025!

The Municipality of Sotkamo will host the Jukola Relay for the first time in 2027. The competition center will be located at the Vuokatti Sports Resort area, which is widely known as an important promoter of sport and physical activity. The area is home to, among others, the Vuokatti–Ruka Sports Academy and the JYU-Vuokatti unit specializing in sports technology.

The Most Active Municipality of the Year competition is part of the national Sports Gala and is organized by the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture. This year’s theme was “Energy from Nature.”

For many people who enjoy sport and active life, the hilly landscapes of Vuokatti are important places to experience and enjoy nature. These hills have also challenged orienteers many times over the years, including at the World Orienteering Championships in 2013 and during the Kainuu Orienteering Week.

Welcome to become a champion in Sotkamo — and see you at Vuokatti-Jukola!

Vuokatti-Jukola’s host Sotkamo is nominated for the most active municipality of the year

The municipality of Sotkamo is a candidate for the most active municipality of 2025 in Finland.

The competition is looking for a municipality that promotes physical activity in a diverse and long-term way. This year, the theme of the competition was “Energy from Nature”.

The competition is part of the Finnish Sports Gala, and is implemented in cooperation with the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Other candidates in the competition are Kokkola and Pelkosenniemi, and the winner will be announced at the Sports Gala on January 15.

Sotkamo, the host of Vuokatti-Jukola, is known for nature and exercise, which are seen in the municipality’s everyday life in a variety of ways. For example, nature is mentioned no less than 555 times in the local curriculum.

Numerous natural sites and rest areas support everyone’s opportunity to exercise at their own pace. Sotkamo and Vuokatti offer a variety of sports experiences for top athletes, tourists and fitness enthusiasts all year round.

News from the Vuokatti-Jukola course setters: what’s up with the courses?

The Vuokatti-Jukola course setters, Marko Uotila and Jarmo Puttonen, already have a good idea of ​​what the Vuokatti-Jukola competition terrain will bring to orienteers. The Venla and Jukola Relay courses are not yet ready, but the two have a rough idea.

“The courses will still change a lot, but we have good suggestions that can be included in the final version,” Puttonen thinks.

Uotila and Puttonen are planning the courses for both the Venla and Jukola Relays together. Both have worked as course setters on a many events, and they acted as course setters together at the 2025 World Orienteering Championships in Kuopio. Uotila has been the course setter for the Jukola Relay before, in Sippu-Jukola in 2005.

“This is the kind of job that it’s hard to say no to. Being the Jukola course setter is a dream job for many,” says Uotila.

 

The duo largely perform their course master duties remotely, with maps at their disposal: Puttonen lives in Jyväskylä and Uotila in Kouvola. As course setters of Vuokatti-Jukola, they have already familiarized themselves with the terrain on a few occasions, and before the actual race weekend they will make five more longer trips to the area. The next time they will head to the terrain of Vuokatti is in the summer of 2026.

According to Puttonen and Uotila, the interestingness and challenge of the Planner pest are increased by many other things to consider in addition to the courses. In September, they toured the terrain, considering possible locations for television and drinking controls, among other things.

Spruce, pine and boulders, is how Puttonen describes the views of the September walk. In their duties, the course setters get to utilize various small and large areas as well as ground with varying speeds.

“In this terrain, the courses automatically become sufficiently demanding. You can’t make them too easy,” Uotila says.

 

During the coming winter, the course plans will be refined together with the course supervisor. The plans will be completed for next summer, when they will be able to tour the terrain with the finished map of Vuokatti-Jukola. The course setters’ work is quite secret, but quite exceptionally, there is a relatively new map of the area.

“Those people who are interested in Jukola have certainly already planned the course themselves, how to go about the terrain,” Puttonen laughs.

Mikkeli-Jukola provided experience for Vuokatti-Jukola

Vuokatti-Jukola responsible persons and volunteers participated in the Jukola Relay weekend in Mikkeli as both volunteers and competitors.

Valuable experience and lessons learned were gathered from, among other things, the construction and dismantling of the competition center, the operation of the information center, the media center, and the orienteers’ food supply from the restaurant.

The upcoming Venla and Jukola Relays were marketed together with next year’s host city, Kotka, and Espoo, which will host the event in 2028. During the hot weekend, visitors were given information and encouraged to come to Vuokatti to experience the first Jukola Relay in Kainuu.

In two years, Vuokatti-Jukola will be over, but there is still plenty to do before then. Do you want to join in the world’s largest orienteer relay competition? Sign up to volunteer!

Pre-Jukola will be held in Sotkamo in the summer of 2026 as part of the Relay League

Pre-Jukola, which will be held in Sotkamo on June 27th, 2026, is one of the Relay League races.

In total, seven competitions will be competed in the 2026 Relay League, of which three competitions will be held in the spring season before the Jukola and Venla relays, one competition in midsummer and two competitions in the autumn.

– The competition program is built according to a familiar formula, but this time Pre-Jukola will be competed at the end of June in Sotkamo, just before the Kainuu Orienteering Week, says Timo Saarinen, the Finnish Orienteering Federation’s event manager and Relay League producer.

According to Saarinen, the Relay League promises diverse terrain, and the aim is to seek a little variety in the competition concepts.
– The starting point is of course the familiar three-leg relays, which get a lot of teams to the line and tight battles, Saarinen summarizes.

Pökkelöperä

Pökkelöperä 

 

Pökkelöperä is located on the southern side of the Vuokatti hills. The terrain of Pökkelöperä was the reserve terrain for the Vuokatti World Orienteering Championships, which was eventually used for training. As for the terrain, Pökkelöperä is a good and small-scale danger terrain, and the surface of the hills resembles the rocky terrain of southern Finland at best. However, the slopes and slow-moving terrain sections make the terrain a full-fledged Kainuu orienteering terrain.

Pökkelöperä offers a challenging middle-distance style exercise, with tight control taking but moderate ascent meters.

Distance: 4.9 km

Scale: 1:7 500

Parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/2D7RgcTBs6kaQuyW7

 

Solukot

Solukot

A challenging mid-distance training course is available in the Solukot area. The terrain of Solukko promises an unprecedented orienteering treat on a new map. Orienteers will be able to see flat rocky areas as well as challenging hills of spruce slopes.

Distance: 5,9 km

Scale: 1:10 000 

Parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BHUdPtyDxniZaeFYA

 

Ketunvaara

Ketunvaara

Ketunvaara offers a challenging middle distance training. The terrain of Ketunvaara is good, but visibility is poor in places. The course offers a precise orienteering challenge, and there is no possibility of straightening the course. The training area is located approximately 15 kilometers from the Vuokatti Sport Resort.

Distance: 4,5 km

Scale: 1:7 500

Parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/4LmtdUKKaTZpJ4YS7

 

 

 

Tipasoja

Tipasoja

A medium-distance training course is available on the fast-paced Tipasoja. The training area located in the village of Tipasoja in the eastern part of the municipality, about half an hour’s drive from the Vuokatti Sport Resort. When heading to Tipasoja, it is also worth stopping by Hiidenportti National Park, where the rugged gorge landscapes will delight hikers.

Distance: 9,2 km

Scale: 1:10 000 

Parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/JaTE8aMdHUzedMJ89

 

Pöllyvaara

Pöllyvaara

An extended middle distance training map is available in the fast-paced Pöllyvaara. The training area is located about a five-minute drive from the center of Sotkamo.

Distance: 7,6 km

Scale: 1:10 000 

Parking: https://maps.app.goo.gl/teEPE8QxHNzTjmKj7

Alamaasto

Alamaasto

Alamaasto is a well-traveled, trail-rich ridge terrain that spreads around Vuokatti Sport resort. A network of ski slopes and trails crisscross the area and visibility is mainly good. A contour map is also available, and the orienteering task focuses on orienteering using contour lines. You can spot a large pile of snow in the terrain, under which there is stored snow for the first snow track in the autumn. Remember to watch out for roller skiers in the roller track area! Permanent controls.

Parking: https://goo.gl/maps/ZvXFhScdxgNahYJc8

Scale: 1:7 500

Type: Permanent Controls