List of Famous people born in Kainuu, Finland

Kaisa-Leena Mäkäräinen is a Finnish former world-champion and 3-time world-cup-winning biathlete, who currently competes for Kontiolahden Urheilijat. Outside sports, Mäkäräinen is currently studying to be a Physics teacher at the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu. Her team coach is Jonne Kähkönen, while Jarmo Punkkinen is her ski coach.

Veikko Kankkonen is a retired Finnish ski jumper who competed at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics. He won two medals in 1964 with a gold in the individual normal hill and a silver in the individual large hill event. That same year he won the jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival, which also earned him the Holmenkollen medal. He also won the Four Hills Tournament and served as the flag bearer for Finland at the 1968 Olympics.

Toini Gustafsson Rönnlund is a Swedish former cross-country skier. She competed in the 1964 and 1968 Winter Olympics and won four medals. Gustafsson also won the 10 km race at the Holmenkollen ski festival in each of 1960, 1967, and 1968. At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships she collected three medals with a silver in 1962 and two bronzes in 1966.

Olavi "Olli" Huttunen is a Finnish football coach and former goalkeeper. He is the former head coach of the Finnish national team.

Heikki Johannes Kovalainen is a Finnish racing driver. He raced in Formula One between 2007 and 2013 for the Renault, McLaren, Team Lotus, Caterham and Lotus F1 teams, scoring a single victory at the 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix. Since then, he has raced in the Japanese Super GT series, where he won the championship in 2016. In August 2020, a computer program listed Kovalainen as the 8th fastest qualifying driver from 1983 to 2020.

Tapio Piipponen is a Finnish biathlete. He competed at the 1984 Winter Olympics and the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Merja Kyllönen is a Finnish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Finland. She is a member of the Left Alliance, part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left. She was the Minister of Transport in Katainen Cabinet 2011–2014. Since 2014, she has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), representing Finland.