Response to interpellation 2023/24:496 on the right to sports for people with disabilities
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD considers the sports movement to be an important part of society and that people with disabilities need to be more included 1. KD emphasizes that work is being done to increase competence within special sports associations 2, that research is important for developing inclusive activities 3, that role models within parasport are important 3 and that direct, dedicated support for leisure cards is necessary so that children can practice sports despite high fees 3. KD also argues that everyone should be given good opportunities to participate in sports and association life 4. S argues that more research is needed 5 6 and that the leisure card may not have the desired effect since the lack of facilities is a priority issue 5 6 7. S suggests that the government should prioritize families with children and look at economic solutions such as bank tax instead of tax cuts 6. S believes that targeted measures should be found to lower fees rather than helping people pay them 7. M highlights the value of parasport for self-esteem and quality of life 8 and believes that better cooperation between municipality, region and state should be established, as well as utilizing existing innovative power so that parasport obtains an obvious place 9.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! Anna Wallentheim has asked me how I and the government are working to increase the right and the opportunity for movement and sports for persons with disabilities.
I agree that the sports movement is an important part of Swedish society. The voluntary work that sports leaders do throughout our country is very valuable and contributes to children and young people getting opportunities for physical activity and social community.
People with disabilities need to be included more in sports. It is concerning that they participate in sports activities to a lesser extent than others.
Physical activity has positive effects on health, but there are several factors that limit the opportunities for persons with disabilities to engage in sports. This can, for example, involve a lack of access to sports aids, sports facilities that are not adapted for persons with disabilities, or limited access in the local area to organized club sports within parasport disciplines. It is also important to promote increased integration in sports for children with and without disabilities. It creates better conditions for inclusion in society and simultaneously gives children and young people a better understanding regarding both opportunities and challenges based on functional ability.
The Government is actively working on the issue of promoting movement and sports for persons with disabilities. The Government is implementing an initiative to introduce a leisure card, which aims to give children and young people aged 8-16 an active and meaningful leisure time in community with others through increased access to sports, culture, outdoor life, and other association life. In April 2023, the Government decided on a mandate to several agencies to prepare and introduce the leisure card. In the mandate, it is clarified that the disability policy goal shall be taken into account and that 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.
The Government gave the Centre for Sports Research at the Swedish School of Sport and Recreation, CIF, a mandate to establish and operate a knowledge platform for facilities and outdoor environments for sports and leisure. The Government finances the knowledge platform through the annual support from the sports grant to CIF, which for 2024 amounts to 26 million kronor. It appears from the mandate that the platform shall develop, collect, and convey knowledge taking into account public health, the principle of universal design, and an innovative approach, among others, this not least so that society can reach both broad and new groups of sports, exercise, and outdoor enthusiasts. Furthermore, CIF received a mandate to follow up on the disability policy for the sports area based on the national goal for the disability policy and based on the government's strategy for systematic follow-up of the disability policy during 2021-2031.
The government provides over 2 billion kronor annually in support to sports. According to the Ordinance (1999:1177) on State Grants for Sports Activities, state grants may be provided to develop interest in sports among children, youth, and persons with disabilities and to promote opportunities for versatile training according to each individual's physical and mental conditions.
I welcome that the sports movement has in various ways intensified its work to include persons with disabilities in sports. I intend to follow how the work develops moving forward.
Anna Wallentheim (S)
Madam Speaker! In today's society, the sports movement constitutes a significant and active part of Swedish culture, where we can see that around 3 million people find an active and meaningful leisure time. Behind this impressive figure lies not only a passionate enthusiasm for physical activity but also the unpaid work that thousands of dedicated leaders put in every day to increase community. It is a fantastic effort that not only spreads joy and health but also promotes cohesion and well-being for many and for a large part of our society.
Despite this impressive community, there is unfortunately a group that all too often stands outside of it, and that is people with functional variations. Even though the Swedish Sports Confederation's idea program Idrotten clearly highlights the importance of including people with disabilities, we unfortunately know that far too many of them do not get the chance to engage in sports. The level of organization within sports for people with functional variations is significantly lower than for others. It stands at 10-20 percent compared to over 50 percent for those without functional variations.
The reasons for this imbalance are many and complex, but it is fundamentally a question of equality and inclusion. It is about accessibility to sports facilities and a lack of economic resources for equipment and transportation, but it also reflects a cultural attitude that is not sufficiently inclusive. It is important that we as a society take responsibility for creating an environment where everyone is given the opportunity to participate and contribute, regardless of physical or cognitive abilities.
Promoting movement and sports for persons with functional variations is not just a matter of justice; it is also crucial for their well-being and development. Through sports, they gain access not only to physical activity and health but also the opportunity to build self-confidence, independence, and social relations. It is an investment in a more inclusive and just future, where everyone is given the chance to flourish and reach their full potential.
Something that is needed significantly more of in the area to find solutions is research. Unfortunately, there is far too little research in this area, and for far too long, people also studied completely wrong things.
In Sweden, there are barely 300 articles linked to research within these issues, and one should know that half of them concern the medical part.
The countries that are at the top with research in these issues are the United Kingdom, USA, Brazil, Japan, and Australia. Those who know their sport can see that the common thread is that these are countries that have hosted the Summer Olympics and thus also the Paralympics. This gives me the opportunity to highlight how important it is that Sweden continues to fight for large-scale events that make research interested in these issues.
One must also know that for a long time there was not even research within this area that distinguished between genders, as the functional variation was seen as the individuals' identity.
The Minister mentions in their answer that the Centre for Sports Research has been given certain specific assignments. That is good. But even though the regulatory letter points out that the Centre for Sports Research should look more at para-sports, the funds have been increased by only a minimal amount, and in Parasportsverige, they highlight that they do not believe this will make any significant difference.
Therefore, my question to the Minister is how the government will follow up and support continued research in the field to ensure that people with functional variations get greater access to sports.
Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
Madam Speaker! I also want to take the opportunity to highlight the value of para-sport.
Children and young people and adults with disabilities who participate in organized sports report that they have higher self-esteem, more friends, better self-confidence and higher quality of life and also greater independence than those who do not participate in organized sports.
It has been proven that regular physical activity can lead to better stress management, concentration, and memory. Physical activity can also function as a counterweight against depression and aggression and anger, as well as reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases.
To create good conditions for sports, ongoing efforts are needed in several areas and at several levels. It is not always about doing more, but many times it is about cooperation – talking to each other across the boundaries between different policy areas and between municipality, region, and state.
To highlight these issues here in the Riksdag, I have revived a network for para-sports, and I am pleased that a majority of parties are showing their commitment to this network. Here we have the opportunity to increase knowledge based on current research and in close dialogue with relevant organizations to together find more answers on how we can contribute to these important issues.
Talking about elite sports and the conditions for elite athletes is perhaps even more important within para-sports. It is gratifying to follow our para-sports stars' successes in recent years. They are role models and true passionate souls who have succeeded in pushing forward despite all the obstacles they encounter just on the way to their sports arena.
It feels good that the government follows and is active in these issues and that one ensures that they do not fall behind in the new initiatives on sports that are coming in.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! Thanks to both the interpellor Wallentheim and Emma Ahlström Köster for the great commitment to these issues!
It is extremely important that everyone, based on their own circumstances, is given access to the opportunity to practice sports in different ways. However, we have seen that participation has decreased, not least in connection with the pandemic and particularly in the group with disabilities.
It is very important here to achieve changes. I know that the Swedish Sports Confederation and the Parasport Confederation do very much. In recent years, an extensive work has been started - with the government's support, of course - to increase the competence within the special federations so that they can to an increased extent offer good activities for parasport athletes. This is so that parasport can to an increased extent find a home in the special federations and to build more inclusion within sports. I think that is something that is very good.
Several federations are now part of this initiative - it has gone from 40 to 60 federations from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023. This shows that the interest in these issues is great and that the willingness to contribute is great.
I myself visited a fantastic para-sports association a few weeks ago, FIFH in Malmö, which does a fantastic job and has had a development that is phenomenal, with many more members and a greater breadth of the bustling activity, where one could truly see children and young people who have found their sport and their opportunity to be part of these contexts.
I am following these questions closely. I have explained how the government is trying to incorporate this perspective even in other initiatives to strengthen the opportunities for young people with functional impairments and disabilities to participate in leisure and sports activities.
Anna Wallentheim (S)
Madam Speaker! I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for the answer. These are incredibly important matters you raise, both for people with functional variations and also for society as a whole, in order to increase inclusion.
I would, however, wish that you had touched upon the research somewhat more, as I spoke about. I believe, namely, that if we are to find solutions to the problem, we need more research within the area.
When it comes to the minister's answer in the first post regarding the leisure card, I am afraid that it may not have the accuracy that the minister desires. I understand what the government wants to achieve with the leisure card. There are good ambitions and thoughts behind it. But I am still unsure whether it will have the effect that is desired.
The Minister knows, of course, that we are talking about quite large sums, especially when it comes to the budget for sports and association life. These are funds that I believe could have been used by sports in a more efficient way. Both the Minister and I are aware of the acute shortage of facilities we see all around our country. Today, children, young people, adults, and people with different functional variations are kept out of sports due to a lack of surfaces, facilities and, when it concerns especially the group with functional variations, adapted facilities. From the sports' side, it has been pointed out that the shortage of facilities is the most prioritized issue. Should we then not start by increasing the access to surfaces and facilities?
I know that it is incredibly tough financially for many right now. I know that families with children turn over every krona to make everyday life work. We unfortunately know that many children do not even eat until they are full and that more school meals are being eaten than ever before. We know that children and young people are forced to stop with sports and club activities when the fees become too high.
I understand, as I said, the idea with the leisure card; I think it is fundamentally good. But perhaps the government has a greater responsibility to turn around the tough economy for ordinary people in general.
I believe that instead of tax cuts, which primarily benefit those who earn the most, we should perhaps prioritize ordinary families with children. Instead of withdrawing grants for adult education and youth organizations, one should perhaps dare to look at things such as bank tax. I believe we must actively look at the increased food prices, rents, and living costs and perhaps look at the parts that could make a difference. We perhaps should not protect companies within the welfare sector that run schools and care companies and take tax money that could benefit all people in society but instead are picked out and put into their own pockets.
This should be something that would also benefit this group. It could benefit sports and those families with children who have difficulty making ends meet financially, so that they could, for example, let their children and young people participate in association life and pay fees.
So I wonder: Is the government really making the right priorities to ensure that more people can take part in the wonderful world of sports?
Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Member, for the interpellation! It is not directed at me, but one becomes happy and warm in the heart when we can talk about these issues.
It is wonderfully fun to follow our stars and passionate souls. But it also warms the heart to meet those who are not stars but simply practice a sport. This month I was down in Malmö at an elite floorball tournament and got to meet young people who are engaged in that sport. It was so much fun to see them and their joy when they get to practice the sport!
These questions cross our political dividing lines. We are passionate about this, and I also believe that we are actually in agreement on what we need to do for people in this group to come forward. We also jointly see how positive it is that precisely they move. Physical activity is important for all of us, but perhaps extra important for this group.
I want to underline what I said in my speech earlier, namely that it is not always the case that we need to do more. It can be so, but it is not always; many times it is about cooperation. I truly believe that we would succeed better with precisely this issue if we coordinated better between different levels – municipality, region and state – and took advantage of the commitment that already exists.
Good innovations are occurring within para-sport, and Sweden is actually leading in many areas. Take advantage of that innovative power and energy, and let us continue to work so that para-sport gets a natural place within sports!
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! It is extremely important with research regarding this. I am following this and think it is very important to see how one can develop activities of this type in a good way so that they become inclusive and reach out to new groups.
We also know how important role models are in this context. Therefore, it is important that, as Member of Parliament Emma Ahlström Köster, we highlight our stars even within para-sports. They play a large and important role in getting new people to start with sports.
We see in a number of places in Sweden how good, interesting things are being done. For example, assistive devices centers are being moved to Fritidsbanken so that it becomes easier to find assistive devices to be able to practice sports. Instead of the assistive device being in some warehouse somewhere, where one has to travel specifically to fetch it, it is available at Fritidsbanken. These are initiatives that I truly think are worth following, and I am also following them.
I am a bit concerned about Wallentheim's contribution at the end. There was a lot about bank taxes, school companies and so on. But I perceived that the interpellor does not think it is urgent to try to provide support when it comes to the fees. I think that, on the contrary, it is very urgent, precisely based on the problem picture that not least Serkan Köse and Mattias Vepsä described earlier: that children perceive that they need to choose between participating in sports or that mom and dad will be able to afford the grocery bag. The purpose of the leisure card is to move away from that situation by providing dedicated support to safeguard children's and young people's access to leisure activities. If Anna Wallentheim thinks this is a wrong priority, I definitely do not share that opinion. I mean that direct, dedicated support for this is very urgent.
I have said many times that I am also prepared to work further with other dimensions of this, such as the shortage of facilities and other things. But I think one should try to make a difference when it comes to this situation, which is so well described, where children opt out of sports because it competes with other things.
Anna Wallentheim (S)
Madam Speaker! When it comes to the leisure card, I believe that the Minister and I can agree that we are not entirely in agreement. When it comes, however, to the fact that the fees are far too high and we should actually find targeted measures to ensure they are lowered rather than helping people manage to pay them, it is a bit about what different starting points one has. There, I argue that the issue of facilities also becomes incredibly important. When we have a shortage of facilities and areas, this risks also driving up prices in completely other areas, which we actually do not want to see.
I believe we are in complete agreement, however, that more needs to be done so that more children and young people, adults, and people with different functional variations can participate in sports, and I hope the Minister can interpret me kindly there. I believe, in fact, that we have exactly the same view on this.
I also want to thank Member Ahlström Köster for the incredibly fine contributions. Just as the Member says, it is the case that role models produce role models, regardless of whether we are talking about stars, leaders, or just the individual person who takes up sports—they can make an incredibly big difference. Para-sports obviously need politicians from both political blocs who drive the issues, so I am grateful for this.
Parasport and people with different functional variations should, in my opinion, be a natural part not only of sports but of society as a whole. They must also never become a special solution, but we must find solutions that ensure they are included in society.
For me as a woman, and considering that it is March 8th and International Women's Day today, it is a reminder of what generations before me have created and what responsibility I have to continue that work. It means that every step, every effort, every raised voice to increase faith in equality is incredibly important.
We must never stop fighting for a world where everyone has equal rights and opportunities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we as a society continue to work to break down barriers and create opportunities for persons with functional variations to be able to fully participate in sports and in society. By doing this, we not only strengthen the sports movement but also increase the value of equality and inclusion in our entire society.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! My view is that everyone should be given good opportunities to participate in sports and association life. It is important for all children and young people to have that right, not least for persons with a disability.
We need to work together to create those conditions. The Government is making a number of interventions to strengthen this. We are following the questions closely, but I am convinced that many more can contribute in this context. I particularly want to highlight the work being done within the sports movement to do what Anna Wallentheim describes here at the end: to increase inclusion and ensure that more federations work actively with these issues and increase their competence so that it is not only possible but also welcoming. The possibilities can be strengthened in different ways: the Regions can work better at ensuring that it becomes possible to get to and from practices and by ensuring that assistive devices become available in a better way than today. There is much that many can do, and I hope that many are prepared to do so as well.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.