The Finnish Disc Golf Association (FDGA) has selected six of Finland's best players to comprise the first disc golf national team the country has had in years.
"There have been some national camps many years ago, but this is the first time that we have this kind of comprehensive project with national team camps and a support system for the players including grants as well as social media branding for the national team and so on," FDGA's executive director Anniina Ihamäki told Yle News.
Disc golf, also known as Frisbee golf, has become increasingly popular in Finland in recent years.
Featuring more than 800 courses across the country, Finland has the world's second largest number of disc golf courses per capita, surpassed only by Iceland, according to a survey by disc golf statistics tracker Udisc.
"Finnish frisbee golfers have for years been at the top of the game in Europe and they have also been successful in the United States. In addition to the enduring stars, new top players are constantly emerging from Finland," the association's chair, Laura Heikkilä, said in a statement.
"We can now follow this journey not just through the individuals, but from the perspective of the national team. Of course, we also hope that through the team we can raise the visibility of Finnish frisbee golfers and increase the following of the sport as a whole," she added.
The national team for the 2023 season includes three women (Henna Blomroos, Eveliina Salonen and Heidi Laine) and three men (Niklas Anttila, Väinö Mäkelä and Lauri Lehtinen).
The association also chose an additional 10 more back-up players, who have also done well in both national and international tournaments.
The team is set to take part in a number of national, European and world championships under the guidance of 2016 European Champion Leo Piironen, who was selected as the team's coach.