The Unified Through Basketball project offers two insightful seminars. The first will delve into the latest research on social inclusion in sport, while the second will explore the important topic of multicultural coaching. We look forward to welcoming participants from all backgrounds and sports! Attendance is free of charge.
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Latest Research on Social Inclusion in Sport webinar
Date & Time: Friday 16.5.2025 at 10–11 (UTC+3), 9:00–10:00 (CET)
Speakers: Malte Gasche & Jatta Muhonen, University of Helsinki
Senior researcher and project leader Dr. Malte Gasche, from the Centre for Nordic Studies, received his doctoral degree from the Nordeuropa-Institut at Humboldt University of Berlin. In recent years, he has worked on various transnational and disadvantaged groups, focusing on their living conditions and societal security strategies. He has led several network and research projects on these topics, including the pilot project “Integration and Empowerment: Organized Sports and Newcomers in Finland” (2022–2024), funded by the Kone Foundation. This project explored the integration potential of organized sports from both structural and individual perspectives.
Dr. Gasche will present an online exhibition developed within the mentioned project, produced in collaboration with the Finnish Sports Museum TAHTO. The exhibition, entitled “Promoting Diversity in Finnish Sports,” is part of the broader exhibition “Sport Unites". In the interview series featured in the exhibition, six coaches and sports influencers – who have worked, or continue to work, in Finnish sports and represent its diversity – share their personal insights.
The exhibition and interviews compellingly highlight the diversity present at the grassroots level of Finnish sports, especially among coaches. They also show how individuals from varied backgrounds and experiences contribute to enriching Finnish sports. It seems only a matter of time before this diversity becomes equally visible at the highest levels of sports leadership and decision-making.
Jatta Muhonen is a doctoral researcher in the Doctoral Programme in Population Health at the University of Helsinki. A former athlete in synchronized skating, her research focuses on how athletic identity shapes athletes’ readiness to recognise and respond to emotional abuse by coaches. Her work forms the foundation of a wider research project, which she will present at the seminar. Jatta holds degrees in psychology and performance psychology from the Universities of Dundee and Edinburgh, and currently also works in Finland as a safeguarding officer and performance psychology practitioner. Additionally, she has pioneered athlete transition and retirement programmes in Finnish sports.
In recent years, the issue of athlete abuse has consistently captured public attention in Finland. The research project titled "Athlete Wellbeing, Mistreatment, and Legal Protection" takes a comprehensive multidisciplinary and multi-method approach to examine this issue in depth. The project focuses on athletes’ experiences of various forms of abuse, with particular emphasis on emotional/psychological abuse, as it is the most common but least studied and recognised form of abuse in sports. Specifically, the project focuses on the underlying factors that contribute to or perpetuate abuse in sports. These factors may include the athlete’s own athletic identity, a lack of comprehensive understanding of all forms of abuse, insufficient regulations, and ineffective legal protections. Additionally, the project explores the prevalence of abuse within athlete-coach relationships, examining its various forms and the impact it has on athletes' wellbeing.
Cross-Cultural Coaching webinar
Date & Time: Friday, 23.5.2025 at 10:00–11:15 (UTC+3), 9:00–10:15 (CET)
Speaker: Dr. Riku Laanti, Cross-Cultural Management and Communications Specialist
Riku Laanti has provided cross-cultural coaching programs and training to coaches, athletes, sports managers and referees in various different sports. This has included participation in the Finnish Football Associations UEFA Pro program, training for FIBA’s Nordic referees, running sessions to the Finnish Basketball National Team, teaching in several different Finnish Sports Institutes and university level Sports Management programs in Finland and internationally, and consulting individual coaches and athletes about the topic.
Riku holds a PhD in International Business and Strategy, an MSc in International Business and an MBA in Finance. He has held senior management positions in Finland and internationally since 1992 and has worked with people from over 50 countries. He has provided consulting and training services to government organizations and multinational companies in a wide range of industries, including chemicals, education and research, energy, media and sports, to name a few.
A former basketball player, Riku spent 10 years in Finland’s top league and competed internationally with the Finnish national team at both senior and junior levels, including appearances in European club competitions. He holds a Level II Basketball Coaching Certificate and currently coaches junior teams at ToPoLa.
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Viola Asunmaa, Project Coordinator
viola.asunmaa@basket.fi, +358504062231