Finland's only official Olympic and Paralympic training centre, on Lake Iso-Kukkanen in Nastola, the eastern part of Lahti. Curling on five sheets in the ice hall, Winter Swimming in the Lake Pool, and hundreds of beds for masters in every sport, 25 minutes from the Games centre.
Pajulahti is where Finland's Olympic and Paralympic athletes train. For the Games it does three things: it hosts the whole Curling tournament, it hosts Winter Swimming in the Lake Pool, and it houses masters from every sport who want a quiet resort week close to Lahti.
The campus sits in pine forest on the shore of Iso-Kukkanen, with the ice hall, the sports halls, the Recovery Center, the hotel and the restaurants within a few minutes' walk. Since 1929 a sport institute; today one of the three campuses of Kolmen Kampuksen Urheiluopisto and the home of the annual Pajulahti Games. Lahti city centre and the railway station are 25 minutes away by shuttle.
Two sports, both from first stone to last medal on this campus. Pajulahti is a full Games location with its own service point and medal ceremonies.
Games sport
Curling 16–22 January 2028
Mixed teams of two women and two men, and mixed doubles, on five sheets of championship ice. Mixed-nation teams welcome. Round robin into play-offs, eight ends a game. Team captains' meeting and official practice on Sunday 16 January.
Games sport
Winter Swimming 20–23 January 2028
Sprint races in the 25 m Lake Pool cut into the ice of Iso-Kukkanen, with saunas and a fireplace room on the bank. Open to everyone, club membership recommended, not required.
All within a five-minute walk on the campus. Every venue has its own page with maps, opening hours and the shuttle stop.
tournament
Pajulahti ice hall Curling · 5 sheets
Five dedicated curling sheets laid in the ice hall for the Games. First Games on Sunday evening. Four draws a day from Monday 17 January. Doubles and team medals on Saturday 22.
Competition
Lake Pool Iso-Kukkanen · 25 m lanes
The 25 m pool cut into the lake ice below the hotel. Race lanes, saunas and the fireplace room on the bank, warm changing rooms in the pool house. Medals at the pool.
Services
Sports halls & Recovery Center Campus centre
Warm-up, team meetings, the Pajulahti service point and the Recovery Center for the evening. Gym and testing services next door.
Pajulahti is on the Lahti side of Nastola, off the Kouvola road. Games shuttles run between the Lahti Games Centre and Pajulahti every day, and coaches from Helsinki Airport stop at the campus on arrival days. Nearest railway stations: Lahti, or the local stop at Villähde.
Merch pre-orders are collected at the Pajulahti service point or the Lahti Games Centre, whichever you reach first.
Picked with Pajulahti for a competition week: short, on campus, and worth the evening.
01The race venue after hours: sauna on the bank, a dip in the 25 m pool, the fireplace room. The Finnish evening, done properly.
Every evening
02Ski and walking routes round Iso-Kukkanen from the hotel door. Recovery ski, Masters style.
From the hotelWhere the national teams recover. Day passes for masters and companions between draws and races.
Campus centre04Dinner by the lake at Fanni, the buffet at Iso-Kukkanen, coffee at Cafe Keihäs. Team tables in the marketplace.
Every eveningThe harbour, Sibelius Hall, the Market Hall and the Winner's Celebration at the Masters Village. Shuttle back after the medals.
Games shuttle dailyBookable experiences, recovery passes and team tables appear in the Pajulahti marketplace once it opens. Prices and times from Pajulahti.
Team captains' meeting and official practice on Sunday, then the campus welcome evening at the hotel: curlers, companions and the first swimmers arriving for the week. Doubles medals on Friday 21, team medals on Saturday 22, winter swimming medals at the Lake Pool through to Sunday 23. Every evening the shuttle runs to the Winner's Celebration in Lahti.
The questions we get about Pajulahti. Rules and draws are on the curling and winter swimming pages.
Cold and mostly dry. Expect −5 to −15 °C, colder on clear mornings, and about seven hours of daylight in Lahti. Lapland days are shorter. Pack for real winter and warm arenas.
At the Games Centre in Lahti or Levi (Alpine Skiers) before your first competition day. Opening times are published in 2027. One accreditation covers every host city and every sport you enter. Service points at the other venues are listed in the arrival guide.
Hockey medals on the ice in Heinola after each final, on 17, 20 and 23 January. Disc golf medals at Kippasuo after the singles on 22 January. The nightly Winner's Celebration in Lahti shows both.
Fly to Helsinki Airport and take the train to Lahti, about one hour. Pajulahti is 20 km from Lahti, about 20 minutes, and a paid shuttle runs between Lahti and Pajulahti. Local trains on the Lahti–Kouvola line stop at Villähde, five kilometres away.
No. Hotel, ice hall, Lake Pool, halls and restaurants are within a five-minute walk. Games shuttles run to the Lahti Games Centre every day and to Heinola on request. Parking is free if you do bring one.
Yes. Pajulahti is one of the main accommodation hubs for the Games. Shuttles to the Lahti venues take about 25 minutes, and the lake, the sauna and the Recovery Center are what many masters from other sports come for.
Hotel rooms for comfort and the lake view, sport standard rooms for a team on one corridor, villas for a group under one roof. All are in the marketplace with Games cancellation terms and breakfast.
Yes. Hotel guests have the Lake Pool and saunas included outside race hours; day passes cover everyone else, Recovery Center included. Spectator areas at the ice hall and on the pool bank are free.
Host city Lahti Games centre. Eleven sports, the ceremonies, the Masters Hub and every evening's celebration. Lahti→
Host city Heinola Every hockey final, winter disc golf at Kippasuo, the river and the spa. Thirty minutes away. Heinola→
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