– We are the only party that actively pursues the issue, says Angelika Bengtsson (SD), sports policy spokesperson.
– I simply believe that we are the only ones who have really prioritized the issue, says Member of Parliament Rickard Nordin (C).
– The other parties did not stand behind us when we demanded it last spring, says Kristina Axén Olin (M), cultural policy spokesperson.
That’s what it sounds like when SVT Nyheter asks how it is that the parties have not agreed on the recognition of e-sports as a sport – even though they all think so.
Is in the majority
In SVT’s survey, four parties answer that they are in favor of recognition and giving e-sports the same legal conditions as a sport: the Sweden Democrats, the Moderates, the Center Party and the Green Party. Together, they have 179 seats in the Riksdag – four more than what is required for a majority.
The Liberals say they have not taken a position on the issue. The Social Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Left Party think it is up to the National Sports Confederation to decide what should be classified as a sport.
The Norwegian Sports Confederation rejects the application
The usual way to be classified as a sport in Sweden is to become a member of the National Sports Confederation, RF. The Swedish e-Sports Association has tried this several times, but was rejected for various reasons.
Most recently, it was about the fact that, according to RF, they had not managed to define which branches e-sports includes.
– When you look through other membership applications, you have not been as zealous about how competition takes place in those sports. We think it’s about a certain ignorance of what e-sports is, says Sammi Kaidi, chairman of the Swedish e-sports association.
Politicians can round RF
What happens in practice if the Riksdag gives its recognition is not entirely clear. In regulations relating to sports, e-sports have previously been included as an addition.
An example is the Counterstrike tournament PGL Major 2021 Stockholm, which was saved at the last moment from being canceled thanks to help from the political side. Then e-sports players were exempted from the rules on entry permits during the pandemic restrictions – an exception that otherwise only applied to athletes.
But why is it so important for e-sports to be classified as a sport? You can find three of the reasons in the clip.