ESG, News, Pro Bono/17 Mar 2023
Ten Years of Responsible Cooperation – Borenius Celebrates Milestone with the Finnish Paralympic Committee
Together with the right partners we can build a long-lasting and responsible story. We have served as the Finnish Paralympic Committee’s official legal adviser since 2013 and as a main partner since 2017 – this means ten years of working together!
“Our long-term cooperation with Borenius has resulted in improvements in the status of Finnish para-athletes in both the field of athletics as well as in the society as a whole. There is still a long way to go, but we are glad to have Borenius there supporting us on our journey”, says Riikka Juntunen, Secretary General at Finnish Paralympic Committee.
During our pro bono partnership with the Finnish Paralympic Committee, we have provided the Committee with various legal advisory services and actively contributed to the legal discourse currently evolving around the equal treatment of athletes. In addition to the legal advice we provide around the year, we have had the pleasure of hosting several events in celebration of our athletes’ success in major international championships and tournaments.
Notable milestone projects
Our journey together so far has been very rewarding. We are proud to have been able to assist the Finnish Paralympic Committee especially with the complex and wide-ranging projects listed below:
- The VAU merger. We acted as the adviser when the Finnish Paralympic Committee merged with the Finnish Sports Association of Persons with Disabilities (VAU). The result of this merger is a strong association that will operate under the name of the Finnish Paralympic Committee and provide athletes with even more extensive support for their development from the amateur stage to the top international level.
- The Paralympic Fund. We assisted the Finnish Paralympic Committee with the establishment of its Paralympic Fund by providing both pro bono legal advisory services and a nest egg.
- WeThe15. We have participated in this global campaign coordinated by the International Paralympic Committee several times over the years. The figure 15 refers to the percentage of the global population that lives with a disability.
- Hidden Heroes. The Finnish Paralympic Committee held an online auction in order to sell ten photographic works featured in photographer Johanna Kare’s Hidden Heroes exhibition. Borenius participated in the auction and acquired five of the works.
Your support is more important than ever this year
Finnish parasports rely on government grants and generous donations as sponsors are scarce despite our athletes’ excellent track record. Unfortunately, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture did not issue its usual grant to the Finnish Paralympic Committee this year due to human error. The grant normally covers more than 60% of the Finnish Paralympic Committee's budget.
In order to ensure that our athletes continue to have access to the resources they need despite this oversight, the Finnish Paralympic Committee has launched a new fund-collecting campaign called the Maailman arvokkain pelipaita – The world's most valuable jersey. We challenge you to join us in donating for a good cause! Read more about the campaign and get your name printed on a jersey here.
We would like to thank the Finnish Paralympic Committee for their valuable work and for our first ten years together – here’s to many more!
