In recent weeks, reports have been presented which show that we are facing major challenges regarding sport and public health.
– We have to make sure that children and young people cycle to school, that parents stop driving them everywhere. More movement is needed in school and we in the government must try to do our part so that everyone can have an active and meaningful free time, says Jakob Forssmed, Minister of Civil Affairs with responsibility for sports.
Generation Pep, led by Prince Daniel and Carolina Klüft among others, showed in its latest report that only three percent of children and young people live healthily if you include both exercise and current dietary advice. 2 in 10 meet the physical activity goal and 30 percent spend five hours or more in front of a screen during their free time.
Family finances affect
Sport has also become a socio-economic issue where some cannot start or continue due to excessive costs. 33 percent of low-income earners state that they have problems paying for their children’s activities.
The government therefore wants to introduce a leisure card that will help pay for sports and activities in your free time. But it has again been postponed.
– We cannot do as we have always done and think that we will get different results. But it is complex to get everything in order with the relevant authorities and to make it safe. So it takes some time, but it is a long-term effort, says Jakob Forssmed.
The idea is that all children between the ages of 8 and 16 should get the leisure card, but it will differ depending on how the family’s income looks like. The children and young people who live and live in economically vulnerable areas will receive much higher amounts than those who have better conditions.
The leisure card is estimated to cost SEK 730 million annually. Until then, the Swedish Sports Confederation has received an extra 200 million to distribute among the special associations.
Tough financially for the elite
But it is not only children and young people who face major challenges. The Center for Sports Research, CIF, presented a report that showed that Swedish elite sports is facing a crossroads. The economy is a big problem there too, for example, more than half of Swedish Olympians live below the subsistence minimum.
They also point out that it looks very different in our neighboring countries. In both Norway and Denmark, governance is more centralized and more money is also invested.
In Sweden, we have the National Sports Confederation, the Swedish Olympic Committee and the Parasport Confederation, which govern how the money is to be distributed. They are now collaborating in a project called Elite Sports 2030 to jointly coordinate support and measures for Swedish elite sports.
– There are certainly reasons to review how you organize yourself. But I do not believe in a centralization or an independent body that will select who or who will receive support or not. I don’t think it fits the Swedish model and I don’t fundamentally think it’s a good system either, says Forssmed.