PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Volleyball star Isabelle Haak was completely without a mention at the Sports Gala.
The gala now admits it failed to give several athletes the appreciation they deserved.
– This year we failed to do so, says organizer Stephan Rimér to Dagens Nyheter.
Isabelle Haak, 23, is one of the brightest names in the Swedish volleyball sky. 2022 was a really successful year for Haak, who led Sweden to the highest national team level Golden League, won the Champions League and was also named the most valuable player in the Club World Cup in both 2021 and 2022.
“That was weird”
When the nominations for the Sports Gala were released in November 2022, reactions were raised that Haak was not nominated in a single category.
– We definitely raised our eyebrows when we didn’t see “Bella’s” name anywhere. Neither in the Jerring prize nor in other nominations. Of course we thought it was strange, says the volleyball association’s general secretary Simon Dahl to Dagens Nyheter.
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In the Female Athlete of the Year category, it was the swimmer Sarah Sjostrom who received the prize at the Sports Gala in competition with Sarah Hector, Jonna Sundling and Sandra Näslund. But Isabelle Haak is not mentioned at the gala at all, despite the enormous successes.
– I have been thinking about how it can be like that. Many of the nominees have their merits from the Olympics and WC, and it is more difficult for “Bella” to compete there. I don’t know how the reasoning goes around how to assess an individual player’s performance in a club or national team, if it is easier to look at individual performances and medals in the Olympics and WC, says Simon Dahl.
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The sports gala’s answer
Stephan Rimerwho is one of the organizers of the gala, now admits that the gala failed to pay attention to certain athletes who made great efforts.
– This is a very special year with very many strong performances, but in terms of content, it is a desire from us at the gala to showcase more than just the nominated athletes and athletes. It is an ambition we have, to find that space, says Rimér.
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He continues:
– There are a hell of a lot of world champions that we don’t have room to take up. Then whether it’s arm wrestling, volleyball, bench press or whatever it may be, it’s something that we think is interesting and fun content. But this year we failed to do so.
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