What it is
Suomen Tanssiurheiluliitto (STUL), the Finnish DanceSport Federation, was founded in 1976 and celebrates its fiftieth year in 2026. It is Finland's member of WDSF and is recognised by the Finnish Olympic Committee.
It covers far more than ballroom: Standard and Latin, rock'n'swing, breaking, street, disco and show dance, para dance and Latin social styles, several of them through member organisations of their own.
Members
Its members are clubs, which in Finland are non-profit associations. Its 2025 annual report counts 70 clubs and 13,943 individual members registered through them, up from 12,143 in 2024. A dancer competes for a club, not for a commercial studio.
Competition system
| Group | Age | Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Lapset 1 (L1) | Both under 10 | F–D |
| Lapset 2 (L2) | 10–11 | F–C |
| Juniorit 1 (J1) | 12–13 | F–B |
| Juniorit 2 (J2) | 14–15 | F–B |
| Nuoret (Youth) | 16–18 | F–A |
| Alle 21 (U21) | 16–20 | Open class only |
| Yleinen (Adult) | 19 and over (partner 16+) | F–A, then open |
| Seniorit S1 to S4 | From 35/30 to 65/60 | By class |
| Seniorit S5 | Both 70 and over | By class |
Classes and promotion. There are six classes, F, E, D, C, B and A, plus an open class. A couple earns a point for each preliminary round danced and more for final places; 40 points move a couple up each class from E, and 50 points move them from B to A. A new partnership can start at the higher partner's class.
Licences and entries. Competitors need an annual STUL competition licence, bought through Suomisport, the national sports licence service, and must be in the federation's competitor register. Entries go through DanceCore, the federation's competition system.
Ranking. Results feed a national ranking at ranking.dancesport.fi, and results from WDSF events count toward it.
Couples. Same-sex couples may compete in national competitions; WDSF international events follow WDSF's own rules.
Main events
The Finnish Championships (SM) decide the national titles in the open class. Grand Prix events, national competitions, club competitions and international competitions, including WDSF ranking events held in Finland, make up the rest of the calendar.
How it is governed
Member clubs decide the federation's affairs at its member meetings, which elect the board; the autumn meeting, for example, sets the sanction fees. The board leads the federation between meetings, and divisions run each discipline; the Standard and Latin division (VAL) decides on class promotions. The federation lists its board and staff on its administration pages.
Finnish professionals compete in WDSF's professional events through STUL. We could not confirm from the WDC's public pages which Finnish body, if any, currently holds WDC membership, so we do not name one.
Official links
We do not print the names of current presidents or board members, because they change. The links above go to the federation's own list.
This page is an independent summary written from the body's own published sources. DanceFlow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sanctioned by it.
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Sources
Checked on November 3, 2026. Each document is linked in the language it was published in. Where sources disagree, the text says so.