In Finland, the Suomen mestaruus (SM; lit. 'Finnish Champion') is the winner of the highest level of national competition in a particular sport.
Suomen mestaruussarja (lit. 'Finnish Championship'), abbreviated SM-sarja, is the competition in which the winning athlete, team, or club is named Finnish Champion. SM-sarja is commonly used when discussing the highest-level league of a sport that competes for the Finnish Championship or the specific competition in which a Finnish Champion is named, as with the Baseballin SM-sarja, Ringeten SM-sarja, Rugbyn SM-sarja, etc.
The abbreviation SM-liiga (lit. 'Finnish Championship League' from Suomen mestaruusliiga) is a standard term used when a sport has been designated with liiga status. Without qualification, SM-liiga can refer to any Finnish Championship liiga, however, it is most often used when discussing the men's ice hockey Liiga – .[1]