Lappeenranta offers free gym and pool access to conscript-age youth

Lappeenranta is providing young adults facing conscription with a €630 fitness benefit, including free access to municipal gyms and swimming pools for a year, Yle reports.

Anton Korttinen, 18, is among those using the benefit, which he calls “incredibly great” for improving physical fitness before military service. “It’s amazing to have this opportunity just to work on your own fitness,” he said. Korttinen trains 2–3 times a week and also referees football matches.

The initiative, introduced last autumn, has grown in popularity. In 2024, 352 eligible individuals received the benefit, with 178 applying for the card. This year, 332 were eligible, and 198 applied—an increase in uptake. The cards have been used 1,880 times so far.

Sirpa Pöllänen, a sports instructor for the city, attributes the rise to better awareness. “Some young people may not see gyms or swimming as their thing, and many who are already active might have their own gym memberships,” she noted.

The city aims to encourage less active youth to adopt a fitness routine, which also helps prepare them for conscription. “Good physical condition makes military service easier,” Pöllänen added.

Other municipalities offer varying incentives. Kotka, for example, provided a 10-visit pass to pools and gyms last year, but only about 20 of the 300 distributed were used. “It wasn’t very popular,” said Tarja Renlund, Kotka’s sports coordinator.

Korttinen, who begins his military service in January 2027, said he is using the benefit to avoid regrets later. “I don’t want to think during service, ‘Damn, I should have trained harder last year,’” he said.