PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Sweden’s women’s skiing and biathlon have had incredible seasons so far.
But it also raises a great deal of concern from the Swedish side.
– We are concerned, it is very ominous, says SOK representative Olle Anfelt to SvD.
Name as Frida Karlsson, Ebba Andersson, Jonna Sundling, Elvira Öberg, Hanna Öberg, Sandra Näslund and Sarah Hector has charmed the Swedish people for the past year and offered fantastic sporting moments. But that’s just to name a few of all our amazing ladies in winter sports.
Swedish concerns
Now both the skiing WC and the biathlon WC await in the next few weeks and once again it is the ladies that Sweden is pinning its big hopes on in the medal hunt. But after the incredible successes of the Swedish women, a strong concern has also been raised.
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Sweden’s Olympic Committee, SOK, are worried and concerned that so few Swedish boys manage to reach the world’s top in individual sports, especially in winter sports.
– We are concerned. We have flagged it for over ten years, in terms of the number who qualify for the Olympics but also below. That there are no people queuing up to be nominated for the top and talent program. We think it is very ominous, says SOK’s behaviourist Olle Anfelt in an interview with Svenska Dagbladet.
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Women’s success
Anfelt has been commissioned by the Olympic Committee to deal with the problem and analyze Sweden’s participation and results in all the Olympics in the 2000s. There it is clearly visible how great the dominance has been from Swedish women in individual sports.
– I think the fact that we have strong women’s sports is partly due to the fact that we were out early and, which cannot be understated, the competition on the women’s side is lower than on the men’s side. And definitely so on the winter side. It doesn’t detract from the girls’ performance, but it does explain something, he says in the interview.
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SOK’s behavioral scientists have interviewed hundreds of candidates for the top and talent program and see a tendency that ambitious girls prefer to choose individual sports, while boys apply for team sports such as football and hockey. Olle Anfelt also has a theory for how to achieve more men’s success in the individual winter sports.
– Guys who play soccer and ice hockey, when they reach a certain age, they may not progress, there is a selection and the best go on to academies. It’s a damn shame for guys who start to get tired or don’t get the development needed for the next phase if they leave the sport altogether instead of being caught up by other sports, he tells the daily and continues his reasoning:
– Think what potential is there, guys who have already put thousands of hours into training. I am convinced that these soccer and hockey guys could very well ski, or succeed in other physical sports such as rowing, canoeing, boxing, judo.
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