Finland

Greyhound racing in Finland began in 1951. The Finnish Sports Federation of Greyhound (SVUK) was formed in 1984 as the national greyhound racing body. The SVUK then changed its name to Greyhound Racing Liitto/The Greyhound Racing Association (GRL) in 1993.1

The GRL has four member clubs-South Greyhound Athletes, Greyhound Club of Turku, Virpiniemi Greyhound Athletes and Tampere Regional Greyhound Club.2 According to greyhound-data.com, an online database maintained by dog racing gamblers, there were 128 races held at Finnish tracks in 2013.3 The races generally occur in the summer and fall months. The greyhounds are not housed at the track, but instead are brought to the sites by their owners to race.

The GRL has its own set of regulations that includes requirements for race entries, racing officials' duties, anti-doping policies and a requirement that a veterinarian oversee all racing competitions.4 Finland is also a member of the Continental Greyhound Racing Confederation and therefore must abide by its racing rules.

There are currently 14 Finnish greyhound breeding kennels listed on greyhound-data.com.5

Wagering on greyhound racing appears to be legal in Finland. A website for the 2010 Finnish Greyhound Derby has a page dedicated to betting instructions.6

  1. "Greyhound racing in Finland," Greyhound Racing Liitto, grl.fi (accessed October 7, 2014).
  2. "GRL's member clubs," Greyhound Racing Liitto, grl.fi/ (accessed October 7, 2014).
  3. "Greyhound track overview-Europe," Greyhound Data, greyhound-data.com (accessed October 7, 2014).
  4. "GRL's Rules," Greyhound Racing Liitto, grl.fi/ (accessed October 7, 2014).
  5. "Greyhound breeder directory," Greyhound Data, greyhound-data.com (accessed October 7, 2014).
  6. "Vedonlyönti [Betting]," Finnish Greyhound Derby, 2008.

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