Sports, outdoor life and games

Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! We are now debating the Culture Committee's report on sports, outdoor life, and gaming, and I will state the Sweden Democrats' position on the political issues contained in the report.

I vote in favor of the committee's proposal for a decision.

I will also say that I am filling in for a party friend who could not be here today.

Sports, outdoor life, and the cultural and creative industries are of central importance for Swedish society. They contribute to strengthened community and public health and also strengthen the individual's development and Sweden's competitiveness. Of course, they are also significant for the image of Sweden. Just look at Sweden's sporting successes internationally, most recently in the Winter Olympics.

Conducting a policy that creates good opportunities for these movements and industries is therefore an important task for politics. There is very much to say when it comes to sports, outdoor life, and gaming, as these are broad areas. In today's debate, I will make some observations on current issues.

Mr. Speaker! The Sweden Democrats and the government are doing a lot to strengthen sports in our country. A current example is the investment in sports halls and other sports venues in the state budget for 2026 and 2027. The investment includes not only financial support to fund facilities but also knowledge and process support. Sports' access to suitable facilities and environments is crucial for association sports to be able to operate. Against this background, our investment is very important. The Sweden Democrats have long advocated for reforms in this direction, and Denmark has been a role model for us here.

As late as today, we could read a news item in the media about the International Olympic Committee, IOC, which I feel I must say something about. The IOC will in the future introduce gender tests for potential female participants. Participants who have a male chromosome set will not be allowed to compete in the women's category in the Olympics, and this applies as early as the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles 2028. This applies completely regardless of what a person identifies as.

It is good that it turns out this way. This is, in fact, an important matter of justice in sports. It is also an important issue of equality. Biological women should not compete against biological men, and now they do not need to be overridden and suffer completely unreasonable competitive disadvantages within their sports. The Sweden Democrats have long turned against this politically correct injustice, so the announcement from IOK is therefore pleasing. To those parties who have not dared to stand up for this, I want to say that you have betrayed our female athletes.

Mr. Speaker! Sport is a popular movement in Sweden. But it is also much more. There are clear links between sport and the gambling market, and in that way, it is logical that the Culture Committee also is responsible for issues concerning the gambling market. The link between sport and gambling exists via lotteries, which are involved in financing civil society in Sweden. But it is also about betting on sports, which is an amusement for many Swedes.

During the mandate period, a number of reforms have taken place so that Sweden can have a more balanced Swedish gambling market. Earlier this year, the Riksdag, for example, made a decision on a new ban on gambling on credit, a debate in which I myself participated. It was a wise decision that further contributes to strengthened consumer protection for the players.

Another decision that the Riksdag has made during the mandate period is to give the gambling companies expanded opportunities to use personal data for the purpose of fulfilling the duty of care, which in turn aims to protect the players. This also contributes, of course, to strengthened consumer protection.

Another reform in the gambling market area during the mandate period is, of course, the much-debated decision to remove the exception in the gambling act that gave party-political lotteries preferential treatment. This decision was important for the reputation of Swedish gambling market policy but also for the reputation of the political parties.

I could speak for a long time about these issues, but I choose to conclude here.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Yesterday we debated the Culture Committee's motion report on civil society and popular education. Today's debate concerns sports, outdoor life, and gambling. Sports and outdoor life are also, in fact, a part of civil society. This also applies to gambling, at least the association-run lotteries, which account for a large part of the funding of association life and civil society organizations. It is the private part, the broadened or complementary part, of the funding.

Sweden has a strong association life. It is good, and it engages people. Sports clubs exist all over the country, and they are often strong in smaller localities. They create meaning and strong bonds between people, and they also contribute to public health through both movement and the sense of community created when one does something together. They strengthen democracy and contribute to a stronger local community and to preparedness.

Politics needs to be involved and take responsibility. We have a good construction for the state's support for sports. Just as for adult education, an agency is lacking. Instead, we have independent organizations: the Folkbildningsrådet and, in the case of sports, Riksidrottsförbundet. It strengthens independence, which is good.

Sweden performs well at the elite level in international contexts. For Sweden to continue doing so, we need to invest in both breadth and excellence, and also in the elite athletes' incomes and safety nets. During the last parliamentary term, Miljöpartiet commissioned the investigation A safety net for everyone. It was about, among other things, reforming the SGI system so that it would suit, for example, elite athletes. The Swedish Sports Confederation as well as other parts of the sports movement have pushed for it, and so have actors in the cultural life. But nothing is happening regarding the issue in the government, and now practically the entire parliamentary term has passed. It is sad.

To elevate our talents, we need to reform the education. The connection between school or higher education and an elite commitment to sports must become better, as well as the possibility of combining a professional career with elite sports. Miljöpartiet has motion proposals in the report regarding all these parts.

Mr. Speaker! The government has done quite a lot to strengthen the sports movement. Idrottsklivet is worth mentioning. It is an important investment, where the Green Party, despite everything, would have wanted to go even further and involve more areas. We have listened to the Swedish Sports Confederation and other actors in that part.

In this year's budget, 250 million has been allocated for support for more facilities. Even here, Miljöpartiet would have wanted to go further and establish a national facility fund, similar to the Danish LOA fund, to achieve long-term perspective and structure in the work.

Fritidskortet is an initiative for children and young people who play sports or engage in some other leisure activity. It is good that the government allocates funds in the budget for children and young people, but the money could have been used more effectively. Until now, for every krona that has gone to the families, more than another krona has gone to the authorities' administration. It is not the right way to use state funds.

The utilization rate during the first half of the year was only 18 percent. The government's forecast in the bill was 65 percent. For the higher amount, i.e., 2,000 kronor, which is aimed at children and young people who today stand far away from sports and organized association life, the utilization rate was as low as 10 percent.

What the associations need to attract more children and young people is not a leisure card. They need support to educate and recruit more leaders, more culture school teachers, and more places for children's and youth sports. It is about opportunities to accommodate more, primarily all the children and young people who today are standing in line to participate.

With the Green Party's policy, it can be realized. We redistribute resources from state agencies' bureaucracy to the sports clubs, to outdoor life, to cultural life and to the culture school, in order to solve the problems with the major bottlenecks and achieve a broadened recruitment that actually succeeds.

Mr. Speaker! Only 3 percent of the leisure card has gone to the actors of outdoor life. Outdoor life actually needs completely different types of support. With our policy, outdoor life organizations will receive more funds to recruit leaders. At the same time, we are investing heavily in upgrading trails with boardwalks, rest areas, wind shelters, and the like. We ensure that the nature near cities and urban areas thrives, remains, and is accessible for hiking trails and outdoor life.

Today, unfortunately, the right of public access is overridden by the right of ownership when forest and land owners choose to create clear-cuts or construct bridges at small watercourses. For a sustainable outdoor life, we need a policy that protects forests and shores against such short-sighted exploitation.

Earlier this week, the new red list from SLU Artdatabanken was released. The situation for biological diversity is becoming increasingly serious in Sweden, and the number of threatened species is only growing. The little owl is an example. It has now been included on the list despite that until very recently it was one of our most common owl species. The snowy owl has been extinct for some time, and the long-eared owl likewise.

According to SLU, these negative trends can be reversed, but it requires measures. An outdoor policy must therefore also be a nature policy.

Mr. Speaker! Sport, both organized sport and spontaneous sport, together with outdoor life and opportunities for an active lifestyle for everyone, both young and old, is important for us to live long, healthy, and wholesome lives. But it is also about creating and feeling a sense of community with others.

To gather together and compete and train, or to lace up one's shoes on one's own, load the playlist in the headphones and head off to the gym or out onto the jogging track is part of the daily routine for very many people. Having the opportunity to move contributes to both physical and mental public health. But for more people to be able to, dare to, or even have the possibility for a physical life, politics needs to be involved in lowering the thresholds.

During the period when the Miljöpartiet was in government, the investigation Varje rörelse räknas was commissioned. It submitted a series of proposals that I believe the government should take more seriously and proceed with.

Mr. Speaker! In conclusion, I will say something about games, both gaming and gambling. During the parliamentary term, the committee has produced a knowledge overview on video games and board games. It is a successful project in every respect, I think, in which all eight parties participated.

The government should now take the report further and investigate the possibilities and frameworks for a national policy for video games and board games. It would be best if the committee could have gathered around the committee initiative that Miljöpartiet proposed together with Socialdemokraterna and Vänsterpartiet. But here, the parties in the government basis clearly said no.

Miljöpartiet has motions in the report concerning, among other things, a national strategy and what such a strategy can and should contain. The Government should take our motions to heart.

Regarding the association-run lotteries, it is regrettable that the Tidö government has done nothing about the growing bureaucracy and the high costs for association life when it comes to organizing lotteries, bingo, and the like. Rather, the development has gone in the other direction, and it has been made even more difficult for association life.

Just as in the discussion about broadened funding for culture, there has been a lack of initiative from the government and the governing parties throughout an entire parliamentary term, also regarding the voluntary sector and its opportunities to strengthen private funding.

Mr. Speaker! With that, I move for approval of the Environment Party's reservation 3 on strengthened support for sports, etc.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Emma Ahlström Köster (M)

Mr. Speaker! Association life is one of the strongest forces we have in Sweden. It creates community, counters exclusion, and lays the foundation for good public health – not to mention the pride and strengthened image of Sweden that sports contribute to.

It is not enough, however, to say that sport is important. We need to actively build upon what we are doing successfully today, but we also need to do something about what is not working as well.

Allow me to raise some current figures. Only two out of ten children reach one hour of heart-rate-increasing activity per day. Four out of five children thus move too little. Almost half of us adults are overweight, and mental illness is the most common cause of long-term sick leave. In socially vulnerable areas, only half of the children participate in club sports. This can be compared with almost 70 percent in more resource-rich areas.

The government has its eyes wide open and acts based on reality when it shapes its policy. Therefore, we have not only continued to do the same thing as tradition dictates, but we have dared to do something else to break the negative trend and achieve a necessary change.

The government has therefore, to begin with, presented a strong budget of over 2 billion kronor for sports also in 2026. It is a continued investment in children and young people, in both breadth and elite, and the money shall reach the entire country.

The government is also investing 250 million kronor in building and renovating sports facilities – this is in order to better meet the large demand for sports surfaces that lies ahead of us.

The Centre for Sports Research has been tasked with developing a better knowledge base regarding sports injuries and how we prevent them. We are also strengthening the work against mental ill-health within sports. Idrottsklivet is a fantastically successful initiative to reach children in vulnerable areas and in that way lower the thresholds for those who need it most.

Mr. Speaker! I also want to take the opportunity to highlight another focus, which I personally feel a bit extra passionate about. It is a skill within sports that can be life-saving. I am talking about being able to swim. In Sweden, there are 53,000 children who cannot swim well enough. It is therefore very pleasing that the government is now investing extra in precisely swimming proficiency, with a particular focus on the areas where the needs are greatest.

But, Mr. Speaker, even this is not enough. Every child needs to be welcomed into the sporting community, and it is urgent.

That is why the leisure card is one of the most important reforms we have introduced during the mandate period. No other initiative has achieved success in such a short time. We see a great interest from families in utilizing the card, and more and more associations want to join. Therefore, since the turn of the year 2025/26, the support has also been increased to 550 kronor for each child and up to 2,500 kronor for those who need it.

Many have also come forward with creative suggestions on how the card can be broadened and include more. I look forward to following the evaluations that come next and how they will develop the card.

On the red side of politics, however, one is not impressed. Expensive, says someone. Inefficient, says another. But then calculate what it costs for the individual and for society when a child grows up sedentary or in social isolation! Also calculate what it costs and will cost if Swedish children become the world's most sedentary generation, which they risk becoming if we do not take action now!

Mr. Speaker! Sports policy should include us all. Today, persons with disabilities participate to a much lesser extent than others in sports. We cannot accept that. Therefore, we are increasing knowledge and strengthening support and access to equipment so that more can participate on equal terms.

It is also we Moderates who here in the Riksdag raise questions about para-sports through our active network. It feels important and urgent. And certainly, it was wonderful to rejoice in our sporting successes in the Paralympics?

Mr. Speaker! Let me also mention Swedish outdoor life. For the Moderates, outdoor life is more than a pleasant activity – it is a social force. It strengthens health, builds community and increases understanding of our nature. But above all, it gives people a sense of belonging and important skills that we cannot get anywhere else.

Outdoor life is also an important part of our preparedness. It builds practical ability and teaches us to take responsibility and be proactive, qualities we need in both everyday life and in a crisis. Here too, we Moderates have taken the lead by being the first to develop a broad outdoor policy program where we, among other things, emphasize the importance of making nature more accessible and self-evident, strengthening outdoor organizations, and reintroducing mandatory outdoor days in Swedish schools.

Mr. Speaker! Just as the whole of Sweden stood still during the 1978 World Championships when Ingemar Stenmark took the classic World Championship gold in the giant slalom, the whole of Sweden stood still and the world watched when Ebba Årsjö dominated the entire Winter Paralympics, when Ebba Andersson skied cross-country, when Frida Karlsson crushed all opposition in the skiathlon, and when the siblings Isabella and Rasmus Wranå swung away the final curling stone and won. 18 medals make 2026 Sweden's most successful Winter Olympics ever. These stars carry us all. It is Swedish sport that inspires you and me to an active life.

With our policy, more people are invited into association life, from youth football to swimming school. It can also be about spontaneous sports, dance, show jumping, paddling a canoe in the wild, or taking a walk in the forest. The policy we are now implementing is not isolated measures; it is a whole. More children get more important skills. More get to discover nature's positive power and adventure. We contribute to a more equal Sweden and a healthier Sweden which in turn becomes a stronger Sweden.

With this, I move for the approval of the committee's proposal.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I did not intend to speak about the leisure card, but actually about the opportunities and conditions for elite athletes.

We appointed the investigation that submitted the report A safety system for everyone to overhaul, above all, the sickness insurance system. There were also proposals regarding scholarships that could be tax-deductible and in that way strengthen athletes, who earn very unevenly. The sickness insurance system that exists today works for employees who have a steady job with a regular income, but that is no longer how the labor market looks for very many. Elite athletes are one such group, cultural workers another, all these gig workers a third, and so on. It also applies to more and more people in ordinary working life.

Not all athletes earn like Armand Duplantis or like our elite football players, especially on the men's side, who have permanent employment with a salary that most elite athletes do not come close to – not all the heroes who just came home from Italy and previously from the Olympics, and actually not even Ingemar Stenmark at the time the member mentioned, when one was not allowed to be a professional if one competed in the Olympics.

Why has the government not proceeded with the proposals in this investigation to secure and strengthen the conditions for elite athletes? The member spoke about strengthening the possibilities for both breadth and excellence, i.e., the elite athletes.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Emma Ahlström Köster (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the question. It is an important one.

It is very true that our elite athletes have very different conditions for practicing their sport. Some elite athletes even testify to the tough conditions they compete under, even at the highest level.

It is in no way a matter of any unwillingness or that the government does not think this is important or urgent. Nor is it that we do not want to do anything about it. This is, however, a much larger task than what we have landed on concretely here and now when it comes to reviewing the conditions for athletes and cultural workers to be able to live.

What we are already working on is, for example, to make it easier for private sponsorship. Athletes should also be able to receive money from different sources during their athletic activities. But it is completely correct that we are not finished with that work and that it is important.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mats Berglund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I still don't quite feel that I am getting an answer to the question. It has now been almost four years since the investigation was submitted. I myself sat in the parliamentary reference group and followed the work that Calle Nathanson carried out in the investigation. I also put forward several good proposals that specifically sports scholarships should be included, and they could do that. This is not included in the investigation, but according to the investigator, it is very easy to simply add them to a list.

It is not a lack of will, I hear the member say. Politics is about wanting, but politics is also actually about doing. It is not enough to just want. It is said that it is not a lack of will, but I wonder if it is not precisely a lack of will. I have repeatedly asked the responsible minister and every time received the answer that this is being prepared in the Government Offices. There are certain complicated things to solve, it has been said.

It actually cannot be that difficult. I thought the matter was quite simple. There are certainly a number of things that need to be adjusted after the investigation was submitted in order for it to work. But there were different systems, and the current system could remain so that one can choose the system that fits best.

I must say that I do not understand why the government is sitting on its hands and doing nothing in the issue to strengthen our elite athletes and the culture. It is not about injecting particularly much money, but it is about having security when one becomes ill or when one cannot work if one has an irregular income, which very many groups and more and more groups in society have.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Emma Ahlström Köster (M)

Mr. Speaker! I share the commitment for the issue that my committee colleague is passionate about. It is completely correct and reasonable. I also share the view that those who make an effort should also have a system to lean on.

But I also think it is good if money comes from different sources. That is why the investigation into sponsorship is important. The work is not finished, and I think, just like my committee colleague, that it would have been nice if it had gone even faster. But even more important is that it is correct when it finally lands in place.

I ask for a little patience, but I understand that there are high expectations for this government given the pace of reform we have had. One could imagine that this applies to all areas, but on that point, I ask to come back to it.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Azadeh Rojhan (S)

Mr. Speaker! Gambling today is an issue that affects more and more people in Sweden. For some, it is a pastime, but for others, gambling leads to debts, mental ill-health, and broken relationships. Therefore, gambling policy must take people's vulnerability more seriously.

The development among young people is particularly worrying. A new report from Centralförbundet för alkohol- och narkotikaupplysning shows that almost one in five people aged 18–29 has or risks developing a problem with their gambling. That is almost twice as many as in the previous measurement from 2021. It is a development that we cannot turn a blind eye to.

It is also for this reason that we Social Democrats have submitted a committee initiative in the Culture Committee today. We believe that the protection against gambling problems must be strengthened. We cannot wait.

An important tool in this work is Spelpaus. When a person reaches an insight that the gambling has gone too far, they can, in a moment of self-reflection, go onto Spelpaus and shut themselves off. But what happens then? Yes, all too often nothing. No contact is made. No one offers help. The person who has just taken an important step is left alone in a vulnerable situation. We know that it is precisely then that many relapse and seek out unlicensed gambling companies. Therefore, we believe that Spelpaus must be complemented with better support. The person who shuts themselves off should be quickly called and given information on where they can turn: to counseling, support, or treatment.

But, Mr. Speaker, we must also become better at preventive work. Knowledge about gambling problems needs to increase, not least among young people and among the professional groups who encounter young people in their daily lives. Therefore, we want to strengthen the preventive work and develop a more unified national effort against gambling problems. We sincerely hope from the Social Democrats' side that our committee's initiative receives support from all parties in the committee.

Mr. Speaker! Taking gambling problems seriously is ultimately a matter of public health. It is about seeing people who risk getting stuck in an addiction and ensuring that society offers protection. But public health policy is also about something more. It is about strengthening the environments and communities that make people stronger, where movement, community, and faith in the future can grow. Sports is such a force.

State support for sports exists for a reason, namely to give people the opportunity to exercise and engage in sports, to promote good public health, and to safeguard a free and independent sports movement.

But sport does more than that. In a sports club, people from different backgrounds meet. There, community, responsibility, and faith in the future are built. There, meeting places are created that can break down segregation. Sweden has a unique tradition of association-driven grassroots sports, but that model cannot be taken for granted.

If the people's movement sports are to endure, we must continue to invest in sports. That is why we Social Democrats, among other things, want to strengthen para-sports for children and young people because children with disabilities are the group that moves significantly less than other children and thus risk poorer health.

Mr. Speaker! We also want to improve the conditions for young elite athletes. My student Sebastian described it like this: Elite athletes are not just result-hungry athletes. They are role models. They inspire our children to start training, young people to continue to fight, and adults to engage as leaders and supporters. When our athletes succeed, interest in clubs increases. More people want to participate, and the entire sports movement grows. I think Sebastian describes it beautifully.

Elite athletes are not just individuals who compete at a high level, but they are also important sources of inspiration for the entire sports movement. At the same time, many elite athletes live under economically insecure conditions. The possibility of reaching a world-class level risks, in practice, becoming a matter of what resources the family has. An important part of this concerns the security systems. The previous Social Democratic-led government therefore commissioned an inquiry into the regulatory framework for income qualifying for sickness benefit. In the report A secure safety net for everyone – New regulatory framework for income qualifying for sickness benefit, it is proposed, among other things, that the income should be able to be based on historical incomes to a greater extent and that the most favorable income should serve as the basis for compensation.

These are changes that several referral bodies have highlighted as important for groups with irregular incomes, including elite athletes. We believe that it is therefore highly criticizable that the investigation has become stuck in a bureaucratic box within the government. It is actually time to pick it up now. If we want Swedish elite sports to grow, we must also provide it with the right conditions for that.

Mr. Speaker! We also need to talk about the physical conditions for sports. The problems with sports facilities vary across the country. There are halls that are fully booked, swimming halls that need renovation, and facilities that are not accessible.

If we are serious about more children participating in sports, we must also ensure that the infrastructure is there. Therefore, we Social Democrats believe that the government needs to take the need for renovations and new construction of sports facilities across the country more seriously.

Mr. Speaker! Outdoor life is also an important part of public health policy in Sweden. With the right of public access as a foundation, people in our country have a unique opportunity to spend time in nature. Outdoor life strengthens both physical and mental health and creates community. But the reality is that many children today never get to experience nature in that way. Outdoor days in school are usually deprioritized or not carried out at all. That is also why we Social Democrats want to include outdoor days in the Education Act, so that all students at least once per school year have the opportunity to participate in real outdoor activities during school time, preferably in cooperation with community organizations and outdoor organizations.

Mr. Speaker! Politics is fundamentally about what kind of society we want to build. Is it a society where people are left alone when gambling addiction risks taking over their lives, or is it a society where we both prevent the problems and offer protection when people need it most? Should it be a society where sports and outdoor life continue to be open meeting places, where children and young people can grow, find community, and feel hope for the future?

For us Social Democrats, the answer is clear. We want a society that strengthens people's health, community and opportunities, and that does not turn a blind eye when people risk falling. With those words, I move for approval of reservation 24.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Roland Utbult (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I shall first say that I support the report, that is to say, I move for approval of the committee's proposal in the report.

In my brief speech, I will touch upon three areas: the leisure card, para-sports, which Emma Ahlström Köster has also accounted for in a good way, and furthermore, the marketing of gambling.

When the leisure card was introduced, the ambition was clear, namely to lower the thresholds so that more children and young people get access to a meaningful and leader-led leisure time. The leisure card was launched in September 2025, and in December it could be stated that the reform had become a success.

By directing the support directly to the child, instead of via general grants, the leisure card has reached exactly that target group that would otherwise risk being left out. Critics have argued that the resources should instead go to the associations. But we believe in directing the leisure card directly to the children. We also see that more children in the activities means more membership fees, greater breadth, and long-term stability for associations and cultural schools.

Investing in children's leisure time is to counteract loneliness, strengthen the individual, and build a sustainable society in the long run. The leisure card shows that accurate reform policy can make a real difference, for the children here and now and for society in the future.

Mr. Speaker! Para-sport is a collective term for sports for persons with visual impairment, mobility impairment, intellectual disability, and hearing impairment. The sports movement has in various ways intensified its work to include persons with disabilities in sports.

The introduction of the leisure card for children and young people is also important here. As stated, it aims to promote the conditions for children and young people to participate in such leisure activities that contribute to an active and meaningful leisure time in community with others. Children and young people with disabilities or other needs for special support shall be highlighted, so that the leisure card benefits them to the same extent as for other children and young people.

When I reflect on para-sport, I think of a few people, just as Emma Ahlström Köster did when she mentioned a few people. I naturally think of the skier Zebastian Modin, the downhill skier Ebba Årsjö, and Aaron Lindström, who unfortunately crashed in the super-G but who is in the process of making a comeback. They are good role models for all of us and not least for young athletes with disabilities.

The Swedish Paralympic Association, on behalf of the Swedish Sports Confederation, has continued to offer knowledge support to other special sports federations. It is called Kompetenslyftet.

Mr. Speaker! Finally, I just want to mention something that I fundamentally dislike: the aggressive marketing of gambling. I mean that it is disgusting, because it ruins so many people's lives. It also doesn't seem to end. Different TV channels, like the evening news, see it as an important source of income without taking the consequences into account. It is about personal tragedies, which also affect relatives.

It is one thing to buy a lottery ticket now and then. It can be pure entertainment. But here we are talking about something else: being enticed into gambling for money with the promise of becoming rich, truly rich. Some gambling companies also wrap their marketing in a kind of home-spun environment or use well-known people who see an opportunity for income.

In the budget bill for 2026, the gambling policy goal was adjusted so that players' needs for clear information when purchasing games are also covered. According to the gambling act, gambling companies shall, among other things, market games moderately. They shall not target persons under 18 years of age in their advertising, they shall only offer bonuses at the first instance of gambling for a new customer, and they shall not market games directly to a player who has opted out of gambling via spelpaus.se.

The most dangerous are online casinos. The time to think is short, and it is easy to play several times. Constant small wins trick the brain, and one chases losses to win back money that has been lost.

According to information, gambling for money among young people is now increasing. It is very serious. In 2025, almost 30 percent of boys in grade 9 gambled for money. In upper secondary school, it is about 40 percent who gamble for money. Boys gamble more than girls. Note that one must have turned 18 to gamble at licensed companies in Sweden. But here, many are under 18 years of age. I think that Azadeh Rojhan also highlighted this problem in a very good way.

Most importantly, gambling for money is a public health problem. This aggressive marketing must come to an end, for the sake of young people and also older people who have become trapped in gambling abuse and gambling addiction.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Vasiliki Tsouplaki (V)

Mr. Speaker! We have had a fantastically good start to the sports year this year, with many successes in both the Olympics and Paralympics. It is clear that major international competitions engage the Swedish people. They create common topics of conversation at the coffee table at work and inspire young people to try new sports.

What happens on the ice or on the ski slope also spills over into social media and contributes to people's creativity there. It has been fun to see everyone who has created their own curling clips at home with broomsticks, robot vacuums, and everything else it has been. And the Canadian cheating finger gave rise to worldwide comment sections and memes.

The newly awakened interest in curling is also visible directly among associations across the country that are having difficulty with training times and leaders to accommodate the influx. We saw the same effect within judo and table tennis after the successes during the Summer Olympics. It could not be clearer that elite sports and grassroots sports are connected.

The problem with hall times and adapted spaces for different sports is not just a phenomenon that appears every four years when it is the Olympics. A large part of the country's municipalities have a constant shortage of space for all children who want to practice sports. Riksidrottsförbundet shows that every third children's and youth association is forced to turn down new members due to a lack of space.

The government has allocated some extra funds for this year and for 2027, but it is far from enough. Vänsterpartiet has proposed a number of measures in recent years. It concerns everything from changes in the Planning and Building Act to changed VAT rules for renting premises.

It is also about a national facilities fund, similar to the one that exists in Denmark and which previous speakers have also highlighted. There, municipalities and associations can receive co-financing and support and assistance, for example from architects and other experts, to find innovative and new designs of sports and meeting places that can meet tomorrow's leisure activities. This issue has been investigated and debated for several years. It is truly time to take action. I believe I hear that there are many parties here in the Riksdag that also want that. Therefore, I move for approval of my reservation 5, which concerns that issue, and hope that I can get support for it in the upcoming vote.

Mr. Speaker! Even if it is not a lack of hall times for outdoor life specifically, there are other obstacles to accessibility when it comes to those activities. There is strong criticism of the large cuts that the government and the Sweden Democrats have made within nature conservation. It has made it more difficult for the maintenance of trails and facilities in forest and land.

We also need to monitor how the government's proposals regarding the deterioration of the shore protection can affect the public's access to both water and beaches. A strong right of public access is a prerequisite for both organized outdoor life and an individual's opportunity to move freely in nature.

The outdoor associations do a great and important job for everyone who wants to move without performance requirements. The activities are health-promoting and have low barriers for children and young people.

We see that they have the potential to offer more people an active leisure time, a sense of community, and increased knowledge about the environment and the right of public access. With the help of increased state support, this can become a reality. In our budget, we have increased their support by 25 million compared to the government's proposal this year.

Mr. Speaker! I mentioned initially the successes for para-athletes, but there are very large obstacles for persons with disabilities to be able to be as active as others. It is evident in the statistics. Ill-health is almost ten times greater among persons with disabilities compared to the rest of the population, according to the Public Health Agency.

Vänsterpartiet therefore sees a great need to strengthen the opportunities for sports for persons with disabilities. We think it is unworthy of a welfare country like Sweden that persons with disabilities still have difficulty participating in association life in the same way as others. It can be about purely physical barriers in the form of sports facilities that are not adapted or about living in a smaller town where there is a lack of organized association sports within parasports.

The worsened right to assistance also puts a spoke in the wheel for those who need support to be able to practice their sport. For those living in a special residence, it can be low staffing that creates problems. Furthermore, several of the sports are very costly. The right to travel services, being able to take one's equipment with them, and arriving on time with the travel service are other challenges.

In other words, measures are needed in several different areas and involvement from both the state as well as the regions, the municipalities and the voluntary sector to remove the obstacles. Everything also indicates that the economy of para-sports needs to be strengthened. We want to propose targeted support with earmarked funds. 175 million are available for this in our budget proposal.

Mr. Speaker! The Left Party has also long highlighted the problems with inequality regarding children's and youth's accessibility to sports. The costs are one of the reasons why many children and young people leave sports. Participation in sports has become a class issue.

The government has tried to address this through the leisure card (fritidskortet). I think it is a decent attempt, but unfortunately, it is not enough to truly remedy the problems. The Swedish Sports Confederation (Riksidrottsförbundet) reports that children's and young people's sports have become 68 percent more expensive on average since 2009. It can be read in the reports from Riksidrottsförbundet that the sports clubs themselves can influence that development. There is a need to work on the attitudes toward the costs. Today, many clubs fill their teams regardless of the price tag. And it is, as many have said, actually at an end for hall times in many municipalities. In that case, there is perhaps no reason for the association to reconsider its arrangements for trips, camps, clothing purchases, and so on.

But there needs to be an awareness that many are being excluded today and that it goes against the foundations of the sports movement. It cannot be the ambition level of the most resourceful parents that determines the ambition level of the association.

Mr. Speaker! I must also say something briefly about the Left Party's gambling policy. We are very concerned that gambling for money is starting to creep further down into the younger age groups. We have long warned that the massive exposure to gambling advertising that we see daily will normalize and lower the thresholds for gambling for money. As consumers, one needs to receive stronger protection and be warned about the games that are risky and quickly receive help if one exhibits problematic gambling.

In much of the regulation that has been made since the deregulation of the gambling market, we see that ordinary slot machines have been given a regulatory framework just as strict as online casinos, which are actually designed to create an addiction. We must address this. There are still low-hanging fruits to pick, such as that the system of self-exclusion – Spelpaus, which we heard about earlier – could include more actors and that those who take the step to exclude themselves from gambling also receive an offer of a support call. It is a very simple measure.

The Social Democrats raised several of these issues in a committee initiative in the Culture Committee today. I hope that we can continue to work on these issues with joint efforts. I also heard that the Christian Democrats agreed with many of the parts here. I therefore hope that we can achieve something across the block boundaries.

Mr. Speaker! I began by talking about sporting successes. Now it has become late, and the match is already underway. But let me conclude with a wish of good luck for tonight's national team match in men's football, where Sweden faces Ukraine. It feels really good to finally be able to be sure that there will be a blue-and-yellow victory.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Malin Danielsson (L)

Mr. Speaker! We live in a time where Europe's security is being challenged, authoritarian forces are gaining ground, and children and young people are growing up with an anxiety that many previous generations have not had to feel. In such a time, it is easy to believe that strength is only about military capability. But a country's defense is not built only with weapons. It is built with trust, community, and faith in the future. And it is built in everyday life.

It is easy to think that sports policy, outdoor life, and gambling regulation are small issues in a restless reality, but it is precisely the opposite. It is here in the association, on the sports field, and in the forest that Sweden becomes strong. When the war continues in our vicinity and the threats increase, every child who finds their way into an association becomes a part of our resilience. Then every sports leader becomes a carrier of democracy and every sports venue becomes a place where trust grows.

Mr. Speaker! In Sweden, we have a unique tradition of outdoor life. Lakes, seas, and swimming spots are natural and often self-evident parts of many children's upbringing – from the first tentative swimming strokes on an early summer day to the fika moment on a blanket by the beach or the sense of community on a pier where families and friends gather. Therefore, it is very serious that 12,000 children today leave primary school without being able to swim. It is not just a question of knowledge, but it is a question of safety and security.

The government has allocated 90 million to strengthen swimming instruction, with a particular focus on areas where the needs are greatest. It is an important part of giving all children the same chance to participate in our shared outdoor life, from swimming trips to school sports.

Mr. Speaker! It is also a clear example of how we need to work forward: not through quick jolts or grand promises, but by step by step strengthening the structures that already sustain Sweden. This happens by giving municipalities, schools, and associations better conditions to do what they are best at – to be close to the children, meet them in everyday life, and give them tools for an active and secure life. For it is there that the strength in our society lies, in people's commitment. It lies in the leaders who show up evening after evening and in all those who create environments where children and young people feel seen. The politician's task is not to take over that work but to enable it. It is about removing obstacles and creating space for the power that exists in our country.

At the same time, we know that the conditions look very different. Many municipalities struggle with old, worn-out sports facilities and do not have enough time in their halls and swimming pools. Several steps have been taken to create long-term and more stable conditions and solutions for the shortage of halls. This year, the largest state investment in sports premises in decades is also being made, which is very positive for promoting this development with more hall times.

But we also see that the need for accessibility is great. This applies both to persons with disabilities and to older people who want to continue to be active well into old age. Removing practical and economic barriers for more people to participate in sports and exercise, regardless of age or disability, is an important part of us staying together.

Mr. Speaker! At the same time as we create opportunities, we also need to be vigilant about risks. The gambling market is changing rapidly. Many young people come into contact with gambling for money at increasingly younger ages. Here, the policy must be clear. We must safeguard the individual's freedom but also protect those who risk falling into harm's way. For us liberals, it is self-evident that a free market must not mean that vulnerable people are left without protection.

Mr. Speaker! I began by saying that we live in a restless time. But a strong Sweden is not built only in defense decisions and strategies. It is built in community, in the locker room, on the football pitch, in the scout hut and in the swimming hall, by people who engage, in contexts where one is seen and in communities where one belongs.

And politics has a role. Our task is to create space, not to rule. Our task is to strengthen conditions, not to take them over. And it is to ensure that more people get to participate. That is how we build a stronger and freer Sweden.

With this, I vote in favor of the committee's proposal.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Anne-Li Sjölund (C)

Mr. Speaker! I begin by moving for approval of reservation number 2. We have had an incredible start to the sports year in Sweden. We have seen performances that move, inspire, and make history.

When Nikolaj Majorov and Milla Ruud Reitan stepped out onto the Olympic ice as Sweden's first ice dance pair in the Olympics, it was not just about a program. It was about courage, about daring to go first, and about opening doors for more.

At the same time, something else spread across the whole of Sweden: curling fever. I believe the entire country sat glued to the TV and followed every stone, every sweep, every decisive point. That says something about the power of sport. It unites us.

But those doors and those moments do not arise by themselves. They are opened by people, by associations and by voluntary forces.

I am, of course, extra proud that many of the fantastic Olympians and Paralympians come from home, from Västernorrland.

Frida Karlsson shows time and again what is possible in the ski tracks. It is World Championship gold, Olympic medals and performances in absolute world-class.

Of course we remember Ebba Andersson in the Olympic relay. To quote the King: What a blunder, Ebba! I have never seen a cross-country skier fly through the air in that way. It was fantastic! And it is easy to agree. It says something about the drama, but also about the courage to get up and continue.

So we have Frida Westman, who has broken new ground. She is the first Swedish female ski jumper in the Olympics.

I have mentioned some of all the fantastic Olympians. This is no coincidence. It is the result of a strong club life, of voluntary efforts and of a local community that carries.

Mr. Speaker! We have also seen fantastic successes in the Paralympics. Ebba Årsjö dominated the alpine competitions with three golds and one bronze. The alpine skier Elijah Primak made his first Paralympics, with courage, offensive skiing, and a will to challenge. That is exactly what sport is about.

In 1976, the very first Paralympic Winter Games were held in Örnsköldsvik. It is also located in my Västernorrland. To be able to participate in celebrating 50 years of sports history was truly wonderful and something to be really proud of.

But there is a "but," for it is also a reminder that the work is not finished. For many, para-sport often involves higher costs for equipment, travel, and accompaniment. Lack of accessibility and unequal support such as transport services and assistive devices mean that many are shut out.

When the support in LSS is also eroded, it is not just about the practical possibilities of everyday life. It also directly hits the possibility to train, compete, and develop within one's sport. Sport should be joy, community, and opportunity. It should not be a struggle alongside the sporting competition.

When we sit on the TV sofa and cheer for our athletes, we feel pride. In Milano Cortina, Sweden took 18 medals in the Olympics. It was extra fun that we were the best in the world on the women's side. We took seven medals in the Paralympics.

We hold our breath with every stroke and cheer at every goal. But when the applause dies down, we must ask ourselves a decisive question. Are we truly providing our athletes, from the local club to the world elite, with the conditions they deserve?

Elite athletes testify that they are sometimes forced to live on support from family and friends in order to be able to continue. They represent Sweden on the world's biggest stages. They wear our colors in the Olympics and World Championships, train hard every day, inspire us all and are important role models for our children and young people across the entire country.

But what does it look like with security when life changes? Is it reasonable that those who invest everything for Sweden should have to worry about their livelihood if they become ill, or when they want to start a family? No, I do not think so.

Therefore, we need to review how elite athletes' incomes are calculated in our security systems regarding both sickness benefit and future pension. Those who represent Sweden should also be able to feel a basic economic security, both here and now and further ahead in life.

All over the country, associations with small resources and growing administration are struggling. Applications for short-term project grants take precedence when what is needed are long-term and stable basic supports. Association treasurers have to spend an unreasonable amount of time managing rules. Some have not even been updated since the 30s.

Outdoor life has around two million memberships in 28 organizations. It is, just like sports, a strong popular movement. It is leaders who every week provide children and young people with knowledge, community, democracy, and security. They teach them to orient themselves, cooperate, and manage in nature. These are skills that not only strengthen the individual but also our public health and our collective preparedness.

But there is one thing that chafes. If a football club gives its coach 1,000 kronor as a thank you, then it is simple. The club does not need to pay social security contributions. But if a scout association gives its leader 1,000 kronor, it immediately becomes more expensive and complicated. It is the same effort and the same commitment but different rules.

Here, we naturally want to see equal conditions for all leaders. Commitment shall be valued equally regardless of whether it takes place on a field or in a forest.

Associations, sports, and outdoor life are so much more than activities. They are the very backbone of a living society. Here, people meet across generations, backgrounds, and experiences. Here, community, trust, and faith in the future are built. Sports provide the joy of movement, strengthen both body and soul, and teach us cooperation and responsibility. Outdoor life opens the door to nature. Association life ties everything together with voluntary commitment that makes it possible for more people to participate, grow, and feel a sense of belonging.

When we invest in associations, sports and outdoor life, we are not just investing in leisure. We are investing in health, democracy and a stronger society.

We want to lower the thresholds and create equal conditions so that more people can experience the joy of movement, regardless of wallet, functional ability, or where in the country one lives.

Mr. Speaker! The Centre Party wants to invest in and strengthen the security of elite athletes. We want to remove obstacles for para-sports and reduce the bureaucracy that burdens the association life.

We want to ensure long-term support and give outdoor life the role it deserves in a stronger and more robust Sweden. When we provide the right conditions, both people and society grow, and the results are visible.

Our athletes are doing their best at the indoor World Championships in over 20 years. Yesterday, the SM-week started in Umeå, which brings Sweden together again.

I am thinking of the little boy in Luleå who loved to go ice skating. I am thinking of all our children and young people, in ski tracks, in ice rinks and at sports grounds.

Which of them will be the next Frida Karlsson? Who will be the next Ebba Årsjö? We do not know. But we know one thing: It is our responsibility to give them the chance.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Lars Mejern Larsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! It sounds like the birds on the roofs here outside the chamber are watching the football match. We are currently leading 1–0 against Ukraine, so it feels good.

Video games and board games are not a niche today. It is not a subculture. It is one of our most dynamic and influential cultural forms. A large part of Sweden's population plays. At the same time, the industry turns over tens of billions of kronor and reaches a global audience. It is not just entertainment. It is Swedish export, innovation, and culture.

Sweden has more aces up its sleeve than most when the world of play is decided.

But, Mr. Speaker, there is an imbalance here. At the same time as the gaming industry is one of our fastest-growing creative industries, there is still a lack of full recognition of games as an obvious part of cultural policy. It is remarkable. What is gaming actually today? It is stories on par with film and literature. It is world-class music and light design. It is visual art, design, and advanced technology. It is social spaces where people meet. It is culture in its contemporary form.

Mr. Speaker! This is no new or unknown insight. In the knowledge overview that the Culture Committee has prepared, which all parliamentary parties stand behind, games are clearly identified as a cross-sectoral future industry. It is an industry that unites culture, technology, education, and innovation, and an industry that contributes to both economic development and social cohesion. There is, therefore, a broad political consensus on the significance of games.

Mr. Speaker! Earlier this week I visited Asmodee here in Stockholm – and subsequently Dragon’s Lair. It gave a concrete picture of the breadth of the gaming industry.

At Asmodee, which is one of the world's largest board game companies, I met a company that not only develops and distributes games internationally but also contributes with jobs, tax revenues, and exports.

At Dragon’s Lair, I encountered something else, but perhaps even more important: stories of living meeting places where games are actually played, community is created and exclusion can be broken, and, above all, where everyone is welcome.

I also received a clear example of the impact of Swedish game development. The game Terraforming Mars, created by the Swedish Jacob Fryxelius, with a connection to Karlstad, is today one of the world's most noticed modern board games. This shows that games developed in Sweden – and of course in Sweden's cultural county Värmland – are not just local products. They are global successes.

Mr. Speaker! This is gaming culture in practice. It is both industry and culture. It is both entrepreneurship and social cohesion. But it is also here that we meet the challenge. What is missing is not creativity. What is missing is structure. Sweden lacks today a national hub for the gaming area, a unifying center, a headquarters, a knowledge node. And we know what such a structure can mean.

The Swedish Film Institute has for a long time been an engine for Swedish film by gathering competence, supporting development, and creating long-term perspective. The video game and board game industry deserves the equivalent. A national video game institute could become this – a unifying force for knowledge, development, and cooperation. It would be an institute that strengthens research and education, that builds bridges between culture and the business sector, and that provides better conditions for both small and large actors.

Mr. Speaker! We cannot say that gaming is culture and at the same time act as if it were not. For us, it is about more than a single industry. It is about work, innovation and Sweden's competitiveness but also about community, about stories and about ensuring that no human being is left out.

I am convinced that art and culture shape the society we live in. Therefore, we must take gaming culture as seriously as we do other forms of culture.

Mr. Speaker! We Social Democrats are clear. Sweden needs a national video game policy. Therefore, the government must develop one. And when it comes to providing the industry with long-term and sustainable conditions, a national video game institute should be investigated.

Mr. Speaker! Sweden stands strong, but it is not something we can take for granted. Other countries are acting. We must also do so. We agree on the analysis. Now we must move from words to action.

For me, this journey has been personal. I have gained a new perspective on gaming – gaming builds bridges between generations and creates community. Therefore, it is about more than an industry. It is about what kind of society we want to be.

A headquarters for Swedish gaming culture, a knowledge hub for future creation, is an investment in our competitiveness but also in our community. As Olof Palme said: A country's culture is its soul. Culture is not a cost. It is an investment.

(Applause)

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(A decision was to be taken on 1 April.)

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