KIHU

What KIHU does

KIHU (Kilpa- ja huippu-urheilun tutkimus- ja kehittämissäätiö, legally translated as the Research and Development Foundation for Competitive and High-Performance Sport) is a Finnish non-profit foundation established in 1991, headquartered in Jyväskylä, Finland. It operates as the country's dedicated research institute for high-performance sport, providing scientific and expert support to elite athletes, national team coaches, and sports governing bodies across 14 national team disciplines. The organization integrates sports physiology, biomechanics, sports medicine, psychology, and data analytics into a single multidisciplinary service delivered through embedded experts, laboratory testing (KIHU Sports Lab), sports physiotherapy and rehabilitation (KIHU Training Room), and applied R&D projects. Its core technology stack is built on biomechanical measurement systems using reflective markers and IMU motion sensors, video analysis, and physiological testing equipment, with supporting digital platforms including Urheilijan polku (athlete development pathways for 50+ sports), Seuratietokanta (a database of 7,795 Finnish sports clubs), and Menestysseuranta (tracking of Finnish international competition medals from 2005 onwards).

KIHU's business model is primarily government-funded rather than commercial. The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) provides the dominant annual grant that underpins the organization's approximately €2.8M operating budget, supplemented by project-based support from the Finnish Olympic Committee, Finnish Paralympic Committee, and the City of Jyväskylä. A secondary revenue stream operates through KIHU Sports Lab, which sells fitness testing services to active individuals and corporate clients, and through the newly established Urheilututkimusrahasto (Sports Research Fund) which channels donations and bequests into sports research. Customer segments fall into four groups: elite athletes and 14 national teams (primary, grant-funded), Jyväskylä Sports Academy developing athletes (primary, local services), active fitness enthusiasts and corporate personnel (secondary, fee-paying), and sports federations and governing bodies (secondary, project-funded). KIHU also runs thought-leadership distribution through KIHU Syke newsletter, KIHUTV YouTube channel, podcasts, and research publications.

In April 2025, the Ministry of Education and Culture commissioned KIHU to lead the "Knowledge Work for Reform of Finnish High Performance Sport" project, producing in February 2026 a report of 13 recommendations on international elite sports requirements and success factors. KIHU holds GDPR-compliant data practices, partial WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance, and operates under formal anti-doping and competition manipulation prevention commitments in cooperation with SUEK. The organization is led by CEO Arto Kuusisto, its first chief executive, supported by an approximately 35-40 person team organized into Performance, Health, R&D and Innovation, Communication and IT, and Community units.

Name

KIHU

Legal name

Kilpa- ja huippu-urheilun tutkimus- ja kehittämissäätiö

Website

https://kihu.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KIHU is a Finnish non-profit research institute providing multidisciplinary scientific support — biomechanics, physiology, medicine, and psychology — to 14 national teams and elite athletes, funded primarily by the Ministry of Education and Culture with an annual budget of approximately €2.8M.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Science Research Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC)

Keywords

• Sports science research
• Elite athlete support
• Biomechanical motion analysis
• Sports physiotherapy services
• Physiological fitness testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Jyväskylä

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding comes from annual grants from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM). This constitutes the main operational budget.
2. Sports Federation and Committee Support: Additional funding support provided by Finnish Olympic Committee, Finnish Paralympic Committee, and sports governing bodies.
3. Municipal Support: City of Jyväskylä provides additional financial support as one of the main funders.
4. Urheilututkimusrahasto Donations: The Sports Research Fund accepts donations and testamentary gifts from individuals and companies to support Finnish sports research. Donations are capitalized and only investment returns are distributed to research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KIHU (Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport) is a non-profit research institute that provides multi-disciplinary sports science services to Finnish elite athletes and national teams. Its core offerings include expert consultation embedded in coaching teams, biomechanical and physiological testing, sports physiotherapy and rehabilitation, sports medicine services, and applied research and innovation. It also operates a commercial testing service (KIHU Sports Lab) and maintains public knowledge platforms covering athlete development pathways and Finnish sports club data.

Product overview

KIHU (Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport) operates as a research and expert service organization providing a portfolio of interconnected services for elite sports. The core offerings include expert consultation services integrated into coaching teams, sport R&D and innovation, athlete health services (medical and physiotherapy), KIHU Training Room for rehabilitation and training, and KIHU Sports Lab for fitness testing. Supporting knowledge platforms include KIHU Syke (news content), Urheilijan Polku (athlete development database), Seuratietokanta (club database), and Menestysseuranta (performance tracking). The organization focuses on combining research evidence, new technologies, and innovation to support coaching and decision-making in Finnish elite sports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KIHU Sports Lab: A service offering fitness testing and athletic performance assessment for active fitness enthusiasts, corporate personnel, and competitive athletes.
• KIHU Training Room

Products and services

• Expert Services for Elite Sport Training Support (Asiantuntijatoiminta) Multi-disciplinary expert consultation integrated into coaching teams across 14 Finnish national sports teams, providing evidence-based scientific support for daily training decisions of elite athletes and coaches.
• Sport Research, Development and Innovation (TKI) Services Applied research, development and innovation services that act as KIHU's development-partner function, translating interdisciplinary sport science into practical frameworks for sports organizations and federations.
• Athlete Health Services (Urheilijan terveys) Coordinated medical and physiotherapy services for athletes, including physician appointments and management of national athlete healthcare networks, primarily serving Jyväskylä Sports Academy athletes.
• KIHU Training Room Physical training environment combining sports physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and performance training services for athletes, operated by KIHU's expert team at the Hipposhalli facility in Jyväskylä.
• KIHU Sports Lab Fitness testing laboratory offering physiological assessments, body composition analysis, and recovery monitoring for active fitness enthusiasts, corporate employees, and competitive athletes, accessible via sportslab.fi.
• Urheilijan Polku (Athlete Pathway) Online platform describing athlete development pathways for over 50 sports, defining skills, training volumes, and coaching content priorities at different age stages for use by coaches, federations, and sports organizations.
• KIHU Syke News and content platform from KIHU covering topics in elite sports research, training, and athlete development, including blog posts, podcasts, and video content for sports professionals and the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• KIHU supports athletes across 14 national teams with scientific training support
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Finnish Olympic CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey strategic partner collaborating on elite athlete support, coaching development, and sports system reform. Jointly involved in the International Elite Sports Requirements assessment and expert working groups for Finnish sports development.
• Finnish Paralympic CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner in para-sports development. Representatives participate in expert working groups including the International Elite Sports Requirements assessment. KIHU addresses para-athlete specific needs including accessibility of facilities and sport-specific expertise.
• University of JyväskyläcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaborative partner providing academic research support, student placements, and expertise in sports science. The university's infrastructure and academic programs complement KIHU's applied research activities.
• National Sports Institute NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKIHU works within the broader national sports institute network to coordinate athlete support services across Finland. Olympiavalmennuskeskukset (Olympic Training Centers) in Helsinki and Vuokatti-Ruka are specifically mentioned as key partners.
• Sports Governing BodiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVarious national sports federations receive expert support from KIHU and provide additional project-based funding. KIHU works with 14 national teams across different sports disciplines.
• Sanastokeskus ry (Terminology Centre)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on developing the Competition and Elite Sports Terminology vocabulary. Sanastokeskus provides terminological coordination while KIHU contributes sports science content expertise for defining approximately 23 sports-related concepts.
• Finnish Sports Ethics Center (SUEK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on anti-doping programs and competition manipulation prevention. KIHU supports doping testing at its facilities and contributes to clean sport initiatives in cooperation with SUEK.
• Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK) LikesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJAMK Likes currently maintains the Seuratietokanta (Sports Club Database), which was originally created by KIHU. The database contains information on nearly 8,000 Finnish sports clubs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian Institute of Sport (AIS): Australia's national high-performance sport institute, headquartered in Canberra. Provides integrated sports science, medical, and coaching support to national teams and elite athletes — the closest one-to-one functional analogue to KIHU's model of embedded multidisciplinary expert services for Olympic sport.
• Olympiatoppen (Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Sports Centre): Norway's national elite sport centre delivering sports science, medicine, psychology, and performance analysis to Norwegian national teams. Operates the same integrated multidisciplinary model as KIHU and serves as the obvious Nordic comparator.
• INSEP (Institut National du Sport, de l'Expertise et de la Performance): France's national institute of sport expertise and performance, providing scientific, medical, and training support to French elite athletes. Closely aligned with KIHU on the integrated elite-sport support mandate and government-backed research role.
• Aspire Academy: Qatar's elite sport academy delivering integrated sports science, medicine, and training services to national team athletes. Comparable to KIHU in embedding multidisciplinary expertise within elite-athlete development programs.

Broad incumbents

• UK Sport: UK's high-performance sport funding and strategy agency, supporting Olympic and Paralympic medal programs through funding, research, and performance services. Broader scope than KIHU but conceptually parallel in funding national-team sport-science support.

Regional players

• Sport Ireland Institute: Ireland's national high-performance training centre providing sports science, physiology, and medical support to Irish athletes. Comparable in mandate and structure to KIHU, though serving a different national sport ecosystem.
• Sport NZ (High Performance Sport New Zealand): New Zealand's high-performance sport agency funding and supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes through integrated performance services. Operates a national institute model with sport-science support akin to KIHU's mandate.
• Riksidrottsförbundet (Swedish Sports Confederation): Sweden's national sport federation coordinating Olympic and elite sport policy and supporting Swedish national federations. Indirectly comparable to KIHU's national coordinating role for Finnish high-performance sport.

Emerging players

• German Sport University Cologne (Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln): Germany's specialized sport university combining sport-science research, athlete support, and academic programs. Comparable to KIHU on the research-and-applied-support axis, though with a stronger academic education focus.
• Catapult Sports: Commercial provider of athlete wearable tracking and performance analytics used by elite teams and leagues globally. Adjacent to KIHU's data and biomechanics services, representing a potential technology disruptor for embedded research institutes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/KIHUTV
• Xx.com/kihufinland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kihu

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KIHU