Sports in Sweden
Contents
Sweden a sporting nation
Voluntary leadership
Diversity
Sports and society
International collaboration
The organization of Swedish sport
A democratic movement
Finance and other resources
Members
General facts on Sweden
Milestones in Swedish sport
Sport in figures
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
Sweden – a
sporting nation
S
weden is part of the Scandinavian peninsular and, in area, the fifth largest country in
Europe. In terms of population it ranks as
one of the smallest European countries.
Close to nine million people are spread over
450 000 km – a population of about 20 people per
square kilometre.
In comparison with most other countries,
Sweden is situated extremely far north. At commensurate latitudes in Canada and Greenland
people move about using snowshoes and sledges.
But thanks to the Gulf Stream which crosses the
Atlantic bringing warmer air to this part of Europe, Sweden enjoys a much milder climate.
The northernmost part of Sweden is situated
above the polar circle while the most southerly part
lies in the temperate continental climatic zone.
There can be snow and ideal skiing conditions in
the north while people are playing football in the
south. The distance between the northern and
southern extremes of Sweden is 1 500 km, the
same distance that separates Copenhagen and
Rome. Most Swedes live in the southern and
central parts of the country.
Unique public access to the countryside
The Swedish countryside is open to everybody
under the ”The Right of Common Access”, a
unique Swedish right which allows everyone to
move freely in forest and field and to pick mushrooms, berries and wildflowers. It guarantees the
right to swim in and boat on lakes, rivers and other
open water. But the right also prescribes an
obligation to show consideration to people, animals
and the natural environment.
Swedes spend a lot of time in the outdoors,
making constant use of the countryside for sports
such as orienteering, sailing, canoeing and skiing.
Being so used to outdoor activities means that the
Swedes have a built-in appreciation of and respect
for nature and the environment. This is not least
apparent at sports competitions and championships
where the greatest possible consideration is given
to wildlife and vegetation.
Swedish Sports Confederation January 2002

Swedes on the move
In relation to its geography and population, Sweden
is one of the world’s most sporting nations. Almost
half of Sweden’s seven million inhabitants between
the ages of 7 and 70 are members of a sports club –
as active competitors, keep-fitters, leaders, trainers
or supporters. Some two million of these are active
sportsmen and women. Less than one percent of
this figure can be said to belong to the élite; that is,
they compete at national championship level.
Sport has an even more dominant position among
youngsters. More than two out of every three boys
and every other girl between the ages of 7 and 15
belong to a sports club. The profile of Swedish
sports is youth sports and sport for all.
There are some 22 000 sports clubs in towns and
villages throughout Sweden besides the 7 000 sports
clubs attached to companies.
”The Swedish system of Gymnastics”
Gymnastics was the first sport to bring Sweden to
international notice. In the early nineteenth century
Per Henrik Ling created a system for building up
the body’s strength and suppleness. The system was
generally known as ”The Swedish System of Gymnastics” and became famous throughout Europe and
even in more distant parts of the world. In some
Latin American countries Ling’s gymnastics achieved such a dominating position that physical
training in schools was called, quite simply, ”Swedish Gymnastics”.
Annika Sörenstam
Seventh in the Olympic medals table
Today Swedish sport is best known on account of
the success of Swedish teams and individual sportsmen and women. For example in skiing, tennis,
swimming, icehockey, handball, table tennis, golf,
motorcycle, canoeing, orienteering and sports for
the disabled.
The minute country of Sweden has contributed
innumerable stars to world sport. Gunder Hägg,
Ingemar Johansson, Gert Fredriksson, Nils Liedholm, Sven Tumba, Toini Gustavsson, Björn Borg,
Ingemar Stenmark, Gunde Svan, Ulrika Knape,
Anders Gärderud, Annichen Kringstad, Börje
Salming and Stefan Edberg have for ever carved
their names into the Swedish soul. In recent years
stars such as Jan-Ove Waldner, Peter Forsberg,
Annika Sörenstam, Kajsa Bergqvist, Magdalena
Forsberg, Magnus Wislander, Pernilla Wiberg and
Henrik Larsson have kept the Swedish colours
flying high in international arenas.
In the Olympic Games Sweden has over the years
won more than 550 medals, of which 173 have been
gold. That takes Sweden to the seventh place in the
Olympic medals table(2001).

Ingemar Stenmark
Björn Borg
Magnus Wislander

Voluntary
leadership
Characteristics of
the Swedish sports
movement
• Independent
• Non-profitable
• Democratic
• Based on voluntary
leadership and work
• Open for all
• Dynamic
• Important factor for
development in society
P
articipation by Swedes in clubs and societies
is a common phenomenon. It is claimed
that when two Swedes meet they start a
club – regardless of whether their mutual interest
is tropical fish, temperance, politics or sport.
The right to participate in clubs and societies is
guaranteed by the Swedish constitution. This gives
everyone the right to found a club or society with a
particular aim without outside interference.
Clubs are the foundation of the sports movement in Sweden. The development of Swedish
sport is the result of the initiatives of innumerable
people. The clubs were created by people who
needed to collaborate and organize themselves in
order to practise their chosen sport. Thus sport in
Sweden was developed at grass-roots level by the
participants themselves. This is fundamental to
what we in Sweden term a popular movement.
Other popular movements include scouting and
the temperance movement as well as political and
religious organizations.
Since the explosive expansion of sport at the
start of the century there have been sports clubs in
almost every village in Sweden. In many communities, sport is the major common interest of the
inhabitants.
A vital public voluntary movement
The Swedish sports model is entirely dependent on
the voluntary support of local leaders as well as on
public financial support, especially from local
governments, and the widely spread club system.
It is estimated that about 600 000 Swedes have
one or more positions as leaders in the Swedish
sports movement. Almost all of them fulfill their
duties without any financial compensation. They
are to be found on executive committees at various
levels, as trainers, youth leaders, officials, team
leaders, etc.
Most of the sports leaders in Sweden are motivated neither by financial reward nor personal
ambition. For many of them it is the joy of
working with youngsters and sharing their interest
with like-minded people. Others become active
when their children get involved in a sport and
continue to be active long after their children or
grandchildren have left home.
1 500 million dollars for Sweden
Clearly it is not possible to put a figure on what
these hundreds of thousands of encouragers,
comforters, comrades and committed adult models
contribute from a social and human point of view.
But if one were to pay these voluntary leaders at
the same rate as youth leaders in public service it
would cost society almost USD 1 500 million per
year.
Sports leaders not only find time to instruct and
lead or wash team strips. Each year some 250 000
Swedish leaders participate in some form of
educational training to become better leaders or to
develop their clubs. Most of this training is under

the auspices of the sports movement’s own education organization, SISU.
normally up to the age of twenty. Adult sports are
for those over twenty.
In children’s sport we play and let children learn
different sports. The child’s all-round sporting
development is the norm for children’s sport.
Competition is an aspect of the game and must
always be conducted on the children’s own terms.
In youth and adult sports we distinguish between competitive, performance sports and sports
for all or fitness sports.
The idea of sports: We want to organize sport at
all levels so that it develops people positively both
physically, mentally, socially and culturally.
The sports movement is constantly seeking to
develop and improve its activities and to adapt
them in accordance with the needs and wishes of
athletes.
The idea of Swedish sport
”Sport wills - aims and guidelines for the sports
movement” is the name of the policy programme
for Swedish sports. It represents a common system
of values for the entire sports movement and
provides guidelines for the organization of sports
activities in federations and clubs.
Sport is physical activity that we undertake with a
view to getting fitter, having fun or feeling good.
Sport consists of training and fun, competition
and display.
We categorize sport according to age and level of
ambition. Children’s sport is normally considered
to be up to the age of twelve. Youth sports are

sportsmen and women can meet. It does not
matter where you live or what the climate is like.
The Swedish sports movement offers something
for everyone who wants to be a part of it, irrespective of where one lives.
Diversity
T
here is remarkable diversity in the Swedish
sporting family. There are clubs that unite
those lone wolves who, in rain and sleet,
cover mile after mile of lonely roads, testing their
own absolute limits. There are clubs that pay
homage to team sports and collective ideas in
which collaboration between individuals and the
sum of individual skills determine the result. There
is room for those who want to become stronger,
improve their stamina, develop their coordination,
technique or tactics. But sports also form an
important arena for social contacts in which old
and young, able-bodied and disabled, men and
women, native Swedes and immigrants, carefree
keep-fitters and almost fanatically serious élite
Sporting ”smörgåsbord”
Swedish sport’s ”smörgåsbord” consists of 67
specialised sports federations: from ancient sports
such as the tug of war and the most Swedish of all
sports, the varpa (caber), to products of the latest
youth culture, such as climbing, or imports from
the USA like frisbee and American football.
The sports federations can be ”pure”, such as
those governing rugby, soccer or rowing, or socalled category federations covering a large number
of different sports, for example the School Sports
Federation, the Swedish University Sports Federa
tion and the Swedish Sports Organization for the
Disabled.
Sweden has been a pioneer in the field of sports
for the disabled ever since this seriously got under
way during the 1960s and has continued as a
leading country in this form of sport. The numerous international successes in Swedish sport for
the disabled are an invaluable source of inspiration
for disabled individuals.
In between the ”pure” federations and the
category federations there are those that organize a
number of similar activities. In aeronautical sports,
for example, one can devote oneself to gliding,
flying, parachuting or hot-air ballooning. The Ski
Association offers cross-country skiing, alpine
skiing, ski jumping, freestyle, ski-orienteering or
snowboard.
But it is not just the activities themselves that
show great diversity. Differences are just as great in
terms of size and financial circumstances.
Largest by far of the federations is the Swedish
Football Association with more than 3 400
associated clubs. Smallest is the Swedish Hockey
Association with 23 registered clubs. Financially
the differences are at least as great.
Cultural diversity
Every eighth Swede is either an immigrant or the
child of an immigrant. Sport plays a key role in
their integration into Swedish society and in
improving Swedish understanding of foreign
cultures. Since 1981 there has been special programmes pertaining to sports for immigrants in
Sweden.

Sports and
society
The Swedish Sports
Confederation
• represents its members in
contacts with politicians,
government authorities
and society
• argues for the social value
of sport
• leads the way in future
policy matters
• allocates the
government’s grant to
sport
• initiates and co-ordinates
sports research
• acts to prevent doping in
sport
• co-ordinates the sports
movement’s international
activities.
T
here are many tasks of a more general
character that are either too complex or
too time-consuming for the specialised
sports federations to deal with themselves. The
Swedish Sports Confederation is an umbrella
organization with the task of supporting its
member federations and, in an official capacity,
representing the whole Swedish sports movement
in contacts with the authorities, politicians etc.
High priority is given to employing the full force
of a united popular movement vis-à-vis political
decision-makers.
Strategic leadership
The Swedish Sports Confederation is a powerful
organ of opinion in the service of Swedish sport,
continually clarifying the responsibility that sport
assumes and the positive values that the popular
movement represents. The Swedish Sports Confederation is a regular consultative partner of the
government as well as collaborating with government departments and ministries.
One of the Swedish Sports Confederation’s
overriding tasks is that of providing strategic
leadership for Swedish sport pertaining to matters
of finance, organization and communications. The
Swedish Sports Confederation also initiates and
supports interdisciplinary research in medicine,
physiology, sociology, technique and the behavioural sciences.
It is the Swedish Sports Confederation that
defends the legitimacy of sport and reports on the
current state of sport, illuminating its extent and
importance.
Government sport policy
The Government adopted in 1999 A Sport Policy
for the 21st Century based on three pillars:
1. Public health. A clear goal in social planning,
school activities and other contexts should be to
encourage and facilitate the participation of
children, young people and adults in sport and
exercise with the aim of promoting good public
health. Such opportunities should be created
through close liaison between the government,
municipalities, the sports movement and organizations that conduct activities for the promotion of
outdoor life.
2. Sports movement. Active support shall be

given to a free and independent sports movement,
which is based on voluntary efforts, offers a broad
spectrum of activities, upholds high ethical
standards, offers equal opportunities to girls and
boys, women and men, actively promotes integration and observes democratic traditions.
3. Entertainment. Elite sport, to some extent,
constitutes a form of commercial entertainment
which is valuable as a source of amusement and
pleasure, but which should be conducted without
state subsidies.

International
collaboration
• The Swedish Sports Confederation shall encourage the development of sport in other countries and
take its responsibility for everyone´s right to sport.
Sweden regularly invites sportsmen and women
from other countries to participate in competitions
and championships on different levels. Statistically,
Sweden is one of the world’s leading organizers of
international championships. During the last
decade Sweden has, for example, hosted the
European Football Championships (1992), the
World Track and Field Championships (1995),
the World Ice Hockey Championships (1995), the
European Football Championships for ladies
(1997), the World Wrestling Championships
(1998), the European Swimming Championships
for Disabled (2001).
There are two organisations with international
responsibilities in Sweden. The Swedish Sports
Confederation is the governing body and the
supreme decision-making organisation concerning
all international relations except Olympic policy at
an international level and the Swedish participation in Olympic Games which is handled by the
Swedish Olympic Committee.
For obvious reasons, European collaboration is
of central interest to Swedish sport; in a new
Europe with open frontiers and new laws and
regulations, conditions for sport are affected in
many areas.
I
nternational exchange is important to Swedish
sport. The Swedish Sports Confederation
works intensively with advancing Sweden’s
position at all levels in order to increase the
influence and spread understanding of the ”Swedish model” with sport organized as a popular
voluntary movement. For this the Swedish Sports
Confederation supports the specialised sports
federations in their international activities.
Around 300 Swedish sports leaders have more
than 450 positions in executives or committees of
different international sports organizations.
The following policy on international relations
has been decided upon by the General Assembly
1991:
• International sporting exchanges shall follow the
goals and direction of sport emphasizing: ”Sport
shall act as an international means of contact and
shall show respect for human equality”. The
Swedish sports movement shall have exchanges
with other countries irrespective of their political
systems and of whether Sweden maintains normal
diplomatic relations with them or not.
ANOC: Association of National
Olympic Committees
International sports structures
ENGSO: European NonGovernmental Sports
Organization
EOC: European Olympic
Committees
ESC: European Sports
Conference
GAISF: General Association of
International Sports Federations
IOC: International Olympic
Committee
NOC: National Olympic
Committees
SF: Special Sports Federations
CIGEPS: Comité
Intergouvernemental pour
l´Education Physique et le Sport

The Swedish Sports Confederation participates
actively, for example, in the European NonGovernmental Sports Organization (ENGSO),
the European Sports Conference (ESC), the
Sports Development Committee (CDDS) of the
Council of Europe and EU conferences and
meetings on sport matters.
The sports movement in Sweden has a commitment to international sports development cooperation. The role of the Swedish Sports Confederation in this regard is to co-ordinate those
projects that the special sports federations and the
district sports federations run in, for example,
Central or Eastern Europe and countries in the
third world.
The Swedish Olympic Committee is engaged in
EOC, ANOC and different commissions, and has
two IOC members. It has bilateral co-operation
with other national Olympic Committees.
Swedish sport and the European Union
Since Sweden became a member of the European
Union (EU) the range of questions pertaining to
sport that have connections with the European
Union has grown rapidly. This has led to greater
demands for co-ordination and for an increased
understanding of the European Union within the
sports movement.
The EU tasks are divided into two principal
operational areas ”EU as an arena for sports policy”
and ”EU as a development resource”.
”EU as an arena for sports policy” includes work
on developing a strategy for Swedish sport within
the EU.
”EU as a development resource” is mainly aimed
at making the EU visible and how it can be a
development resource for all who are involved in
sport. The idea is to increase the Swedish sports
movement’s commitment to and understanding of
EU’s structural funds so that more people can
make use of them.

of the Doping Commission, the Supreme Sports
Tribunal and an Electoral Committee to select
candidates for the next General Assembly.
The organization
of Swedish sport
Entry to the family
of sports
A new member federation
must
• be a non-profit
organization
• organize a sport that
accords with the goals and
ideology of the sports
movement
• not be related to a sport
that is already represented
• must be spread over at
least half of the sports
districts
• have at least 50 member
clubs with 3 000 members
• be adopted by the General
Assembly.
The Executive Committee governs
The Executive Committee of the Swedish Sports
Confederation, which governs operations between
general assemblies, consists of eleven members
including the President. In 2001 Gunnar Larsson
was elected President of the Swedish Sports
Confederation.
T
he Swedish Sports Confederation’s task is
to work as effectively as possible for the
member federations so that these can
devote the maximum time to sport itself.
The Swedish Sports Confederation relieves the
sports movement of unnecessary administrative
tasks and negotiates advantageous contracts, thus
giving sport more money for its activities.
The Swedish Sports Confederation is also active
in areas in which individual federations cannot
allocate resources, principally in matters of ITservices, finance, research, legal matters and
overriding international collaboration.
Throughout the country, clubs are organized
according to two principles: one geographical and
one linked to the sport. The geographical organization takes the form of district sports federations
while particular sports are organized in specialised
sports district federations and specialised sports
federations. At the national level the unifying
organization is the Swedish Sports Confederation.
Specialised sports federations
The specialised sports federations are independent
organizations, each with responsibility for its own
sport within the framework of rules promulgated
by the international federation. There are currently
67 specialised sports federations that are members
of the Swedish Sports Confederation.
District sports federations
Swedish sport is divided into 21 district sports
federations. Within their respective areas these
federations work with much the same matters as
the Swedish Sports Confederation, that is with
public opinion, representing regional sports in
relation to politicians and public authorities,
allocation of grants and assistance with legal
advice. The district federations are also concerned
with anti-doping measures and matters of gender
equality and thus form the Swedish Sports
Confederation’s extended arm in the country.
The General Assembly sets the course
The specialised sports federations are represented
by 185 delegates and the district sports federations
by 21 delegates at the General Assembly which is
the sports movement’s supreme decision-making
body.
Besides electing members to the Executive
Committee, the assembly determines the direction
of sport for the ensuing two years. Delegates
consider various motions and also decide whether
to allow new sports to join the family. A financial
auditing committee is elected as well as members
Specialised sports district federations
Within their districts the specialised sports district
federations coordinate all the activities of a particular sport, especially competitions and training for
youth sports and lower divisions.
The Swedish Supreme Sports Tribunal
The sports movement has its own ”supreme court”
called the Swedish Supreme Sports Tribunal. The
tribunal deals with appeals against legal decisions
handed down by the specialised sports federations.
The Swedish Sports Confederation’s democratic structure
The Swedish Olympic Committee
The supreme authority of Swedish sports in all
olympic matters is the Swedish Olympic Committee. It comprises 35 national olympic sports
federations as well as 12 federations of sports
recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
The Executive Board is elected for terms of four
years and consists of eleven members including the
IOC members in Sweden.

The main tasks of the
Olympic Committee
• development of top level
sport
• talent detection and
development to top level
sport
• preparations for and
selections to the Olympic
Games
• responsibility for the
Swedish participation in the
Olympic Games and the
European Youth Olympic
Days
• participation within the
olympic movement
• bilateral co-operation with
other Olympic Committees
• olympic marketing
programme, national and
international
• allocation of grants to the
national Olympic Sports
Federations from the
marketing programmes.

SISU – Swedish Sports Education
sports leader) took part in regional leadership
courses organized by SISU. SISU is also responsible for Bosön’s Sports College.
Since 1992 SISU Sport Books is a publisher in
the physical activity field, with a production of
around 200 titles. It publishes quality textbooks for
coaches, physical educators, athletes, fitness
instructors, sport managers, and other professionals in the physical activity field. SISU Sport Books
also runs a book club with approximately 15 000
members.
Swedish sport has its own education organization
(SISU). Its main aim is to cater for the needs of
clubs and specialised sports federations in training
leaders, coaches, trainers, instructors, officials and
referees.
SISU arranges both courses and conferences in
the areas of performance development, health
matters and club development. SISU is also an
internal consultant for member federations and
clubs in such fields as organizational development
and process management.
SISU is an adult education association that
organizes so-called study circles for clubs. This
educational method is based on the concept of a
syllabus being followed by a group of club members who share their knowledge and experience. It
is led not by a teacher but by one of the participants. This means that the participants know each
other well, have common interests and are striving
towards the same goal. The circles are adjusted to
the particular needs of the club.
Every year SISU reaches 6 000 clubs with its
local educational activities - study circles and
cultural programmes. It organizes some 40 000
study circles with about 450 000 participants.
Approximately 127 000 leaders (i.e. every fifth
Bosön – the heart of Swedish sports
training and education
Bosön - Swedish National Sports Complex – is the
meeting place for sport leaders, national and
international athletes, national teams and clubs as
well as for people from other organisations and
companies.
The complex, which is owned by the Swedish
Sports Confederation, is beautifully situated at the
seaside north of Stockholm and has three programmes:
Bosön Top Sport Centre supports the development
of Swedish top athletes in close collaboration with
the specialised sports federations and the Swedish
Olympic Committee. The Top Sports Centre
offers a complex programme for teams and individuals involving psychology, physiology, movement analysis and medicine.
Bosön Education Centre offers those interested in
sport unique opportunities for combining sports
with studies in a stimulating environment with
superb residential facitilies. There are 180 pupils,
half of whom are among the country’s top athletes,
studying at Bosön’s Sport College. The Sports
Study Programme provides secondary schooling
with specialisation in sports. The Sport Consultants Programme provides a university-accredited
course for future sports leaders and administrators.
Responsibility for the college rests with SISU.
In collaboration with the special sports federations Bosön Sports College also provides highlevel programmes for trainers, coaches, referees
and other leaders, most of them being voluntary
leaders.
Beside these programmes Bosön also runs a wide
range of conventions, clinics in specific sports and
longer or shorter training programmes in fitness,
health, sports management and top sports.
Bosön Conference Centre arranges all kinds of
gatherings and events and offers an excellent venue
for small executive groups as well as for several
hundreds of people.

Sport and education for young people
Sport and health form a separate subject in the
Swedish primary and secondary schools. The
Swedish Sports Confederation seeks to improve
conditions for sport in Swedish schools, particularly by increasing the number of lessons devoted to
the subject.
There are also upper secondary schools making it
possible to combine education and elite sports.
These are normal schools, but with a number of
individual athletes in a common sport as pupils.
They follow a standard curriculum but have
opportunities for training during the day.
Today there are 61 sports secondary schools
covering 36 sports with a total of around 1 300
pupils. The schools with the largest numbers of
pupils are those dedicated to skiing, athletics,
icehockey, basketball, football, bandy and volleyball.
Co-operation on elite sport development
According to a decision by the General Assembly
the Swedish Sports Confederation, the Swedish
Olympic Committee and SISU have formed a
body to support top-class sport.
This can, for example, be a matter of joint
training camps for different sports as well as
seminars for trainers, collaboration with regional
development centres and special studies in top
sports.
Eight regional Sports Development Centres ”service stations”- assist the special sports federations in developing trainers and sportsmen and
women. These centers are placed in communities
where you have good facilities for the sports in
question and where you have a university interested in the co-operation with sports on research and
development as well as where you have the possibility to test and further train the athletes.
Commission. The most important tools of the
programme are doping tests together with information and education. The tests not only reveal
doping where it occurs but they also give athletes
the welcome opportunity to show that they are
”clean”. The severe penalties for doping mean that
the tests have an important preventive effect.
Some 3000 tests are administered each year.
Anti-doping operations have become increasingly internationalized in recent times. With the
foundation of the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) representatives of governments from all
continents are now working side by side with sport
with a view to harmonizing and making more
effective the struggle against doping. Sweden is
actively engaged in this development. Within the
framework of the so-called IADA collaboration
the Swedish Sports Confederation has, for example, helped to develop ”The IADA Quality
Concept” and has thereby contributed to the
establishment of an international standard for
quality assurance of the process of doping tests.
Even if doping is an international problem it is
still important that local activities are maintained
through various preventive measures. It is with
this background that the special sports federations,
in accordance with the Swedish Sports
Confederation’s rules, must have their own antidoping programmes adapted to their specific
sports.
Anti-doping programme
By developing an active anti-doping programme at
all levels of sport the Swedish Sports Confederation
intends to ensure that all athletes enjoy the right to
participate and compete in sport free from doping.
Our vision is ”clean” sport: sport in which a winner
can rejoice in an honest victory, in which a loser can
feel secure about having taken part in a fair fight
and in which spectators can enjoy athletic performance, secure in the knowledge that this is not the
result of forbidden substances and methods.
The anti-doping programme within the Swedish
sports movement is led and co-ordinated by the
Swedish Sports Confederation and its Doping

A democratic
movement
This is how the Swedish model works in principle, even though election to the executive of the
Swedish Sports Confederation will usually be
preceded by many years of leadership at all levels of
sport.
T
here are innumerable Swedes who first
come into contact with expressions such as
”deputy auditor” at their sports club’s
annual general meeting. As a member of a voluntary organization one soon becomes involved in the
democratic process. The Swedish sports movement
only accepts voluntary organizations as members.
Voluntary organizations are governed by rules
that require such democratic attributes as annual
general meetings, executives, election committees,
allotted periods for motions etc.
The actual route through sport’s democratic
organization can differ somewhat. But normally
the progress is as follows:
Gender equality
Nearly 44 per cent of the sports pursuers in
Sweden are women but there are large differences
between sports. In sports such as ice-hockey,
wrestling, weight-lifting and motorcycling male
dominance is almost total, while women dominate
such sports as gymnastics, riding and figure
skating.
Even if the rules governing sport in Sweden are
based on democratic principles, for a variety of
reasons, those making decisions are not sufficiently
representative of sports participants. Although
much has been done to promote equality between
the sexes, women constitutes only 26 per cent of
the executives of specialised sports federations.
The situation is very much better in the district
federations in which 43 per cent of members of
executives are women.
In 1995 the General Assembly of the Swedish
Sports Confederation decided that all organs of
the Swedish Sports Confederation and district
federations shall consist of equal numbers of
women and men.
Sweden has been a pioneer in the struggle for
gender equality in sport, probably due to the fact
that this issue has had a relatively high status in
society. The measures taken have often influenced
other countries and Sweden has been entrusted
with the leadership of several international projects
within the field of gender equality.
From grassroots...
At the annual general meeting of, for example, a
local table tennis club, one or more delegates are
selected to attend the annual general meeting of
the district table tennis federation. The delegates
are empowered to vote and may be elected to the
table tennis district executive. When the district
table tennis federation selects delegates to the
annual general meeting of the district sports
federation or the Swedish Table Tennis Association, the same people may be elected to the
specialised sports federation’s executive. The
Swedish Table Tennis Association sends delegates
to the General Assembly of the Swedish Sports
Confederation, and our club member may then be
elected to its Executive Committee, sport’s own
”government”.

Finance and
other resources
helping them to maintain the scale of their activities. BingoLotto is marketed by means of a very
popular television programme at prime time
saturdays. It is today the fourth largest individual
game in the country with about nine per cent of
the lottery and betting market.
A
common illusion is that sponsors keep
the wheels of Swedish sport spinning.
This is not the case. Though sponsors do
contribute, particularly to arena sports which create
media interest, sponsorship hardly accounts for
more than USD 115 million (1 USD = 10.50
SEK). For clubs, local sponsoring is common and
an important factor for the financing. By far the
largest financial contribution comes in the form of
voluntary assistance. If the voluntary leaders were
paid by the community, the cost to society would
be about USD 1 500 million. In the light of these
facts the conclusion becomes all the more obvious:
for society, sport comes very cheap. Not least when
one considers that sport also pays enormous sums in
the form of taxes and fees. In 1999 AIK, one of
Sweden’s leading sports clubs, received nearly USD
160 000 in contributions from the government and
local authorities. The club paid about USD 2.9
million in taxes and fees. For every dollar that
society spent it received 18 dollars in return!
Facilities run by clubs
The Swedish sports movement relies on the active
participation of hundreds of thousands of leaders
and a political expectation that local authorities
should provide sports facilities for school children,
club members and other local inhabitants.
At a time when the public sector is expected to
make savings many local authorities do not
consider themselves able to afford, for example, to
run sport premises. For this reason clubs have
increasingly reached agreements with local authorities to take over this running. Half of the
country’s sports premises are now owned or run by
sports clubs.
Local authorities give most
Local authorities are contributing for much the
largest funding from the public sector. About USD
430 million comes from local authorities divided
between the cost of maintaining sports facilities
(c. USD 335 million) and direct financial support
for activities (c. USD 95 million).
The government founding is about USD
50 million annually. This grant is administered by
the Swedish Sports Confederation. More than 75
per cent of the grant goes to the specialised sports
federations or direct to clubs, based on reported
sports activities. About five per cent goes to central
administration.
Sport in Sweden also receives more than USD
7 million from the county authorities. Most of this
money goes directly to the specialised sports
district federations via the district sports federations but there are also earmarked grants for fitness
programmes.
Sport´s contribution to society
When unemployed people are offered meaningful
work with salary assistance in the sports movement, this is also considered a sports subsidy,
though it is largely a measure for alleviating
unemployment.
Mention is seldom made of just how much
income is generated by a competition or championship in the form of goodwill, increased sales,
hotel bookings, private rentals, visit to restaurants
and so on. The Vasa Ski Race, for example,
annually attracts more than 10 000 participants
who also bring their families as supporters.
There is a widespread belief that sport costs
society money. The truth is quite the reverse - in
purely monetary terms but more especially in
respect of well-being, health, a sense of community, entertainment, enjoyment and meaningful
activity for millions of Swedes.
The popular movements’ own lottery
Just about every week throughout the year, rain or
shine, representatives of sports clubs are out selling
lottery tickets for the voluntary movements’ own
lottery, BingoLotto. For many clubs the income
from this lottery has compensated for the reduced
public grants and has made a major contribution in

Specialised sports
federations affiliated
to the Swedish Sports
Confederation
Swedish American Football Federation
Swedish Archery Association*
Swedish Athletic Association*
Swedish Automobile Sports Federation
Swedish Aviation Sports Federation
Swedish Badminton Association*
Swedish Bandy Federation
Sw Baseball and Softball Federation*
Swedish Basketball Federation*
Swedish Biathlon Federation*
Swedish Billiard Association
Sw Bobsleigh and Luge Association*
Swedish Boule Federation
Swedish Bowling Federation
Swedish Boxing Federation*
Swedish Budo Federation
Swedish Canoe Federation*
Swedish Casting Federation
Swedish Sports for All Association
Swedish Climbing Association
Swedish Curling Association*
Swedish Cycling Federation*
Swedish Dance Sport Federation
Swedish Deaf Sports Federation
Sw Sports Organization for the Disabled
Swedish Equestrian Federation*
Swedish Fencing Federation*
Swedish Figure Skating Association*
Swedish Floorball Federation
Swedish Football Association*
Swedish Frisbee Disc Association
Swedish Golf Federation
Swedish Gymnastics Federation*
Swedish Handball Federation*
Swedish Hockey Association*
Swedish Ice Hockey Association*
Swedish Ice-Sailing Association
Swedish Judo Union*
Swedish Multiple Sports Federation*
Swedish Minigolf Federation
Swedish Motorcycle Federation
Swedish Orienteering Federation
Swedish Powerboat Association
Swedish Powerlifting Federation
Swedish Rowing Federation*
Swedish Rugby Union
Swedish Sailing Association*
Swedish School Sports Federation
Swedish Sport Shooting Association*
Swedish Skating Association*
Swedish Ski Association*
Swedish Sled Dog Racing Association
Swedish Squash Rackets Association
Swedish Swimming Federation*
Swedish Table Tennis Association*
Swedish Taekwondo Federation*
Swedish Tennis Association*
Swedish Triathlon Federation*
Swedish Tug of War Federation
Swedish Underwater Federation
Swedish University Sports Federation
Swedish Varpa Association
Swedish Walking Association*
Swedish Water Ski Federation
Swedish Weightlifting Federation*
Swedish Volleyball Association*
Swedish Wrestling Federation*
* Member of the Swedish Olympic Committee
General facts
on Sweden
Ar
cti
cC
irc
le
Capital: Stockholm.
Area: 450 000 km2 (174 000 sq. mi.) similar to
California, Cameroon, Iraq, Spain or Thailand.
Climate: Average temperature in July is about
+18°C (64° F). The winter temperatures average
slightly below freezing and snowfall is moderate.
Population: 8.9 million with about 85 per cent
living in the southern half of the country.
Immigration: Since the 1940s immigration has
accounted for over 40 per cent of the population
growth.
Religion: 85 per cent belong to the Lutheran
Church of Sweden.
Language: Swedish (a Germanic language).
Life expectancy: About 77 years for men and 82
for women.
Constitution: Constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary form of government. The King
today only has ceremonial functions as Head of
State. Parliament consists of one chamber, whose
members are directly elected by proportional
representation for four-year terms.
Universal suffrage: From the age of 18.
Foreign policy and defence: Member of the
European Union since 1995. Military non-allied
country.
Labour market: About 4 million people in the
labour force. Roughly 22 per cent, mainly women,
work part-time. 70 per cent of all women aged 1664 are gainfully employed.
Standard working time: 40 hours per week, 5
weeks statutory paid vacation.
Child allowance: Parent recive tax-free child
allowances, equal for everyone, until the child´s
16th birthday. Children who then continue their
education are entitled to study allowances.
Health care and social welfare are public sector
responsibilities, supported by a national social
insurance system. Health care is run by the county
councils, whereas responsibility for social welfare
services rests primarily with the municipalities.
Child care: Municipalities provide children with
day care and after-school activities at subsidized
rates.
National health insurance: All residents in Sweden
are covered. A person who is ill or must stay home
to care for sick children receives a taxable daily
allowance (80 per cent of lost income).
Pensions system: A new system is being gradually
introduced as of 1999. A guarantee pension will be
payable to everyone from the age of 65. The
supplementary pension is being replaced by a new
general pension based on total lifetime income
from both paid employment and benefits paid, for
example, during sick leave and parental leave.
Parent allowance: Fifteen month´s paid leave from
work, which can be shared between the parents
and used any time before the child´s eighth
birthday.

Milestones in Swedish sport
1795 Sweden’s first sports club, the Uppsala
Swimming Association, is founded.
1978 An anti-doping commission is
appointed.
1860 Per Henrik Ling’s system of gymnastics
takes form.
1982 National sports upper secondary
schools are founded.
1880 Lieutenant Victor Balck, member of the
IOC and ”father of modern competitive sports”,
ensures that increasing numbers of people
participate in gymnastics and athletics. Other
sports also begin to found clubs: football, cycling,
lawn tennis, pentathlon and kick-sledding.
1986 SISU (The Swedish Sports Movement’s
Adult Education Organization) is founded.
1891 The Swedish Gymnastics Federation is
founded.
1991 Prince Bertil retires as President of the
Swedish Sports Confederation after 44 years
(1947–1991) and is succeeded by Prof. Dr.
Arne Ljungqvist.
The Swedish Sports Confederation lifts the
boycott against South Africa.
1895 The Swedish Sports Association is founded.
1903 The National Association of Gymnastics
and Sports Clubs, later the Swedish Sports
Confederation, is founded
1904 The first special sports federations are
organized
1912 The Olympic Games are held in Stockholm.
1922 The first official commission on government grants to encourage sport produces its
report (SOU 1922:8)
1933 Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf resigns as
President of the Swedish Sports Confederation
and is succeeded by his son Prince Gustaf Adolf.
1936 A fund for the promotion of sport is
created with money from the nationalized betting
industry.
The Swedish flag.
1939 Sports institute at Bosön is founded.
1947 Prince Gustaf Adolf, President of the
Swedish Sports Confederation, dies and is
succeeded by Prince Bertil. The name of the
National Association of Gymnastics and Sports
Clubs is officially replaced by the Swedish Sports
Confederation
School system: Nine years of compulsory schooling for all children from the age of six or seven.
About 98 per cent go on to the upper secondary
school with both vocational and academic programs. Schools are run by municipalities and
provide free instruction, books and lunches.
1951 The Swedish Sports Confederation elects
the first woman to its executive.
1957 The 1955 government report on sport and
open-air activities presents its proposals.
Higher education: Some 40 institutions of higher
education, operated mainly by the state and
providing free instruction. About half the students
are women. More than one fourth of adult Swedes
have a higher education.
1968 The Swedish Sports Confederation decides
to boycott the apartheid countries.
1989 The Swedish Sports Confederation
agrees a programme of gender equality for
the 1990s.
1992 Handling with doping becomes a
criminal activity.
1995 The General Assembly of the Swedish
Sports Confederation agrees on gender quotas
within the Swedish Sports Confederation,
District Federations and Special Sports
Federations.
The General Assembly of the Swedish Sports
Confederation agreeds on the policy programme ”Sport wills – aims and guidelines for the
sports movement in the twentieth century”.
Sweden joins the EU.
The Bosman decision makes it possible for
athletes to change clubs within the EU
without transfer fees.
1996 The Swedish Parliament appoints a
parliamentary commission on sport.
1999 The Swedish government presents its
bill A Swedish sport policy for the 21st
century.
2001 Prof. Dr
Arne Ljunqvist
retires as
President of the
Swedish Sports
Confederation
after 26 years and
is succeeded by
Mr Gunnar
Larsson.
1970 Parliament agrees on the government
report ”Sport for All” (SOU 1969:29).
Currency: SEK (Swedish krona) 1 = USD 0,10 or
GBP 0,07 (November 2001)
Gunnar Larsson

Sport in figures
The diagrams are from various sources. Figures for the same item
can, therefore, vary between diagrams.
Spectators aged 7–70 years
Persons aged 16–84 who are members and/or in
positions of responsibility
Number of people visiting a sporting event at least once per year
Football
Sports club
Ice hockey
Cultural society
Automobile sports
Outdoor life club
Floorball
Political party
Handball
Parents association
Track and field
Environmental organization
Equestrian
Bandy
Religious communion
0
1 000 000
Golf
2 000 000
Skiing
Number of members
Number of positions of responsibility
0
Source: Statistics Sweden, 2001
500 000
1 000 000
1 500 000
2 000 000
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation
Number of members aged 7–70 years
Number of sports leaders* aged 7–70 år
Total number of leaders 610 000
Top athletes 7 000
Women 160 000
(26 %)
Passive
1 000 000
Men 450 000
(74 %)
Active 2 200 000
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation
Source: Statistics Sweden, 2000
* incl coaches, trainers and board members
Special Sports Federation with largest number
of active women
Reasons for participation in sport
Keeping fit
Gymnastics
199 000
Seeing other people
Equestrian
183 000
Losing weight
Competing
Football
156 000
Having fun
Golf
144 000
Not feeling well
without sport
Track and field
139 000
0
10
20
Women
30
40
50
60
0
70%
20
40
60
80
Proportion of active women
Men
Proportion of women on federation executive
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation 2001

100%
Sports with largest number of activities
for children and young people (7–25)
Development of goverment grant
(Millions of USD)
70
Football
Equestrian
65
Ice hockey
Floorball
60
Swimming
Tennis
55
Gymnastics
Handball
95/96
Basketball
97
98
General grant
Track and field
0
500
1 000
1 500
2 000
2 500
99
2000
Olympic games
National Sports Upper Secondary Schools
(Thousands)
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation
The leading special sports federations with regard
to financial turnover 2000 (millions of USD)
The ten leading competitive sports
Number of active participants aged 7–70 years
Football
Football
Floorball
Ice hockey
Track and field
Golf
Golf
Equestrian
Gymnastics
Ski
Ice hockey
Floorball
Sport for All
Sportshooting
Athletics
Handball
Tennis
Equestrian
Gymnastics
Bandy
0
0
200
400
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation
600
(Thousands)
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Source: Special sports federations
Financing of sports
The Swedish sports movement’s
international representation*
(Millions of USD)
500
Government* 49
(8%)
County councils 7
(1%)
Member fees 149
(23%)
5
800
400
Local authorities 95
(15%)
300
200
Spectators 56
(9%)
100
TV rights 15
(2%)
0
Lotteries
114
(18%)
1997
2001
Number of people
Sponsorship 152
(24%)
Source:The Commission on Sports
1993
Number of international assignments/posts
* Includes government direct grant 43 and SISU 6
Source: Swedish Sports Confederation

*Not including Nordic assignments
Postal address: Idrottens Hus SE-123 87 Farsta
Phone: 08-605 60 00 Fax: 08-605 62 00
E-mail: riksidrottsforbundet@rf.se Homepage: www.rf.se