Long-term sports director Harri Syväsalmi died at the age of 71. Born in the Olympic Year in Helsinki, Syväsalmi made an exceptional career in sports ethics both in Finland and abroad.
Harri Syväsalmi, who had a volleyball background, worked in top positions in sports for almost 50 years. His diverse range of posts included, for example, Director of Athletes’ Village, IAAF World Championships in Athletics 1983 and the tasks of sport administration in the Ministry of Education and Culture.
At the turn of the millennium, Syväsalmi actively participated in the establishment of the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA. Syväsalmi served as the organisation’s first Secretary General from 2000 to 2003, laying the foundations for globally unified anti-doping activities. The World Anti-Doping Code of the independent World Anti-Doping Agency WADA has been adopted by more than 700 sports organisations around the world.
From the world of anti-doping, Syväsalmi proceeded through various posts in Finland to the European Union and the Council of Europe (2011–2017) to develop an international convention to combat the manipulation of sports competitions. The aim of the agreement is to strengthen the integrity, ethics and fair competition of sports and to protect athletes. The objective is to establish a common legal framework for effective international co-operation to combat this global threat. Syväsalmi continued his work until 2017 by acting as the Chair of the Expert Group on Match-Fixing of the European Council.
In Finland, Syväsalmi participated in the launch of the Finnish Center for Integrity in Sports (FINCIS) and served as the organisation’s Secretary General in 2016–2018. In his work, Syväsalmi was able to utilise both his strong anti-doping background and comprehensive expertise in the fight against competition manipulation.
Since retiring, Syväsalmi held positions of trust in volleyball and participated in the EU’s international SAPIS (Strengthening Athlete Power in Sport) project. He played an active role in initiating the project, which aims to strengthen the voice of athletes in sports administration and create new approaches to the empowerment of athletes.
Syväsalmi is remembered as a warm person who fought passionately for clean sports. He was also particularly well-known and respected internationally and had exceptionally extensive global networks.
Syväsalmi was awarded with the First Class Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland in 2012 and the First Class Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland in 2007. The Ministry of Education and Culture awarded Syväsalmi a Cross of Merit in gold in 2011. In early 2024, he also received the Taustavoima (contributor) Award at the Sports Gala for his work in the development of sports. At the Gala, Syväsalmi looked to the future with confidence and gave credit to the athletes.
“This is a significant award of recognition for clean athletes and ethical sports. It has been great to be involved in making sports even better and fairer, both nationally and internationally. Let’s not always do things the way they’ve been done before, let’s, instead, strive to improve. What makes this journey especially great are the numerous encounters I’ve had with various athletes and other sports stakeholders along the way.”