Response to interpellation 2024/25:569 on fair competition conditions in sports

Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam Speaker! Sara Gille has asked me whether I consider it compatible with the equality goals that biological men are allowed to compete in women's categories within Swedish sports.

Sara Gille has also asked me whether I and the government intend to take the initiative for guidelines or legislation that ensure fair and gender-based competitive conditions within Swedish sports.

Sara Gille has also asked me how I view World Athletics' decision to introduce a separate category for trans athletes and whether this is something Sweden should advocate for in other sports as well.

Finally, Sara Gille has asked me what I and the government are doing to create a climate where female athletes can safely express their concerns and their opinions on these issues without risking reprisals or stigmatization.

I agree with Sara Gille on the importance of ensuring equal sports where everyone can participate on equal terms. The Government considers that sports should be open, equal, and accessible to all regardless of, for example, gender, gender identity, ethnic origin, functional variation, or socioeconomic background. Not least within children's and youth sports and within grassroots sports, sports is an important arena for social community, health, and development.

In the sports policy objective, it is stated that sports shall be equal and that everyone in Sweden shall have the opportunity to exercise and engage in sports. In the conditions the government sets for the annual state grant of 2.1 billion to sports, it is further stated that the grant shall, among other things, promote equal sports.

The state's sports policy and the Swedish sports model are based on a free and independent sports movement. This means that the sports movement itself decides on its regulatory frameworks and conditions for, for example, participation in various competitions and sporting events. It is not the government's role to decide on guidelines or additional laws to govern the rules of competition in sports.

The question of gender identity and biological sex in relation to competitive sports is complex, and its relevance varies between different sports. The Government welcomes that the sports movement, both nationally and internationally, is addressing these issues and actively working to develop clear regulations and competition formats. It is central that participation in competitions occurs on equal terms and that the sports' regulations are and are perceived as fair by all participants.

The International Association of Athletics Federations' and the Swedish Athletics Association's policy and regulations for trans women's competition are examples of how the sport itself, within its federations, takes responsibility for handling these issues, something that the government views positively.

Regarding Sara Gille's question about female athletes being able to freely express their opinions, freedom of speech also applies within sports. That sports should be safe, inclusive, and democratic is an important issue for the government, and within the Swedish Sports Confederation, the work for safe sports for everyone is a prioritized issue. The government closely follows this work and, among other things, sets requirements in the guidelines to the Swedish Sports Confederation that the results and effects of the sports movement's work for safe sports shall be reported annually.

We have great confidence in the sports movement's will and ability to handle this issue and are closely following the developments.

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

Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! The Minister's answer was a typical example of how one talks around something without actually saying anything. It just becomes fine words about equality and safety, but one completely avoids taking a stand on the facts. That is exactly the problem.

This is about women's right to compete on equal terms and not be pushed out by a political anxiety that now completely takes precedence over common sense. For a long time, we have worked to ensure that women get the same opportunities as men in sports – so that women do not have to measure themselves against male physiology. It has been a self-evident matter. But what happens now when the very foundation of women's sports is threatened by biological men being allowed to compete in women's categories? Well, it is a setback.

In the USA, there are already examples where biological men after gender reassignment have won competition after competition in the women's category. Two trans-identified athletes took 15 state titles in track and field from biological girls of high school age. It is not fair. It is to erase years of struggle for women's sports. It also does not matter how many years of hormone treatment have been carried out, because the biological differences still remain. Men retain physical advantages even after gender reassignment, which creates an imbalance.

World Athletics has acted. In 2023, they introduced a ban on transwomen who have undergone male puberty from competing in the women's category. At the same time, they are investigating a separate open category, and they are not alone. World Rugby has gone ahead. The international swimming federation Fina has introduced similar rules, and the cycling federation UCI likewise – not out of hostility but to protect women's sports. It shows that it is possible to find a balance between inclusion and fairness.

Madam Speaker! When I asked the Minister whether it is compatible with Sweden's equality goals to let biological men compete in women's classes, he chose to speak about children's sports, about inclusion, and about the sports movement's freedom. But, Madam Speaker, the fact is that this is not about children's football practice on Tuesdays. It is about elite sports, about championships, about thousands of hours of training, and about dreams that risk being crushed.

Sweden distributes 2 billion kronor in sports support every year, and with that comes a responsibility – a responsibility not to let women's competitive conditions disappear behind political blinkers. It is therefore reasonable that the state clarifies that fair competitive conditions for women are part of the equality mandate. We do not have separate classes in sports to discriminate; we have them to protect fairness. It is about women being able to compete on their own terms, against others with comparable physical conditions.

To stand passive in this matter is to pretend that there is not an ongoing change that risks making women's sports a shadow class without credibility. The consequences are clear: Women will opt out of the sport. Girls will wonder why their efforts no longer count. Parents will hesitate. A society that claims to stand up for equality loses all credibility if it does not dare to defend women's right to compete against each other on equal terms.

Does the Minister consider it compatible with fairness and credibility in Swedish sports that biological women should have to compete against individuals with preserved physical advantages from male puberty?

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

Michael Rubbestad (SD)

Madam Speaker! There are some unwritten rules that all politicians, in some sense, follow.

Firstly, a politician never answers yes or no to a question but always takes the opportunity to elaborate on their reasoning and present their political standpoint.

Secondly, a politician always ensures that they steer their answer toward what the politician actually wants to talk about. It is something that quite often makes the average person a bit irritated because they feel that politicians never answer the questions they actually receive.

For the third: When one receives a question that one has the faintest idea how to answer, or when the question is simply too sensitive for one to dare take a stand, one answers somewhat cleverly that one is monitoring the question or following the developments closely. And that is precisely the answer that has been given to the interpellator Sara Gille, namely that the government is following the developments closely. Furthermore, one refers to having "great confidence" in the sports movement's own ability to handle the question. Translated freely, it means that one does not dare tackle the question and that someone else has to solve it.

When food prices skyrocketed, the responsible minister did not refer to the market to solve the situation – no, they called for talks and applied pressure. When electricity prices surged, the responsible minister did not hope that the electricity giants would solve it, but instead called for talks before winter hit and also pushed for the electricity subsidy. Whether the right measures were taken certainly depends on who is asked and which party that person belongs to, but regardless, the ministers acted and took a clear stand when the situation required it.

Now we face a situation where female athletes all over the world are putting their foot down, literally, and saying: "Enough is enough!" It is about women who, despite risking disqualification from the competition, are putting down their equipment and refuse to compete against biological men. Our task as politicians is crystal clear in this situation: We must stand up for those women and give them the support they demand and need. We need to take a clear stand. We shall not refer to the sports movement itself having to solve the situation and that we are monitoring the development.

My question is quite simply: Why does the Minister choose not to act and take responsibility?

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Angelika Bengtsson (SD)

Madam President! I have for two parliamentary terms been responsible for my party's sports policy, and I have followed the debate that has been conducted primarily in the USA. There, several records, not least within college sports, have been broken by persons who were born as men, transitioned to women and continued to compete in the same sport and thus succeeded in breaking the record, the female record. These persons were born as men. Many female athletes have for that reason chosen to end their elite careers because they feel overridden by an unfair set of rules.

Madam Speaker! Sport has for many years struggled with unfair conditions. Some dope to achieve success and fame. Others see an opportunity in changing sex to achieve the same success. It may be a radical comparison, but I am convinced that many with me see the injustice in that one cannot compete on equal terms.

The fundamental principle of the sports movement is that we shall compete under the same rules and on equal terms to see who has achieved the best technique, strength, and endurance to take the gold medal and become the best in their sport. It requires many hours in the sports hall to achieve this success. One should not be able to achieve that success by cheating one's way to it. We must ensure that exactly this is upheld: to compete on equal terms to maintain the joy of pushing and reaching one's limits to become better and stronger within one's sport.

The debate in the USA, we are also beginning to see and hear here in Sweden, even if it is not as far advanced – yet, I say, because I am convinced that we will see that debate intensify in Sweden.

I want to add another perspective to this debate. Many times people talk about hormone levels in the body, but what about everything else? More muscle mass – why is that not debated? Why do we not bring it up when we discuss trans people's competition in sports? Men are born with more muscle mass, and we will not get away from that, regardless of hormone levels in the body, especially when one has already competed and reached an elite level in their sport and subsequently changed sex but continues to compete.

Madam President! I am quite convinced that an elite swimmer who transitions to a woman will continue to be stronger than Sarah Sjöström, to take an example. It is very clear. We see it in the USA. We see it in the records being broken. We cannot escape that. More muscle mass automatically means that one is stronger.

I therefore think it would be good to broaden the debate so that it is not only about hormone levels. We also need to bring in all other aspects – both physical and non-physical factors – into the debate.

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Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Madam President! Thank you, Minister, for choosing to answer Sara Gilles' questions here today!

In recent decades, we have seen an extensive identity-political reshaping in our society, not only in Sweden but in the entire Western world. It is a movement that has been very active, with organizations such as RFSL, for example, which have been given free entry into our schools and have worked hard with these types of issues. It is an organization that all too often has shown itself to be unable to withstand scrutiny.

Parents who have opposed what they perceive their children have been subjected to have received a stigmatizing response, which is deeply problematic. It is about the underlying feeling of not daring to say what one thinks for fear of being just stigmatized, exposed in the media, fired from work, or exposed in other ways. We have received many different testimonies about this.

This debate is a part of the development we have seen in the debate over whether biological men should compete against biological women in women's sports. 50–70 years ago, that debate would have been completely unthinkable and quite absurd. But we hear more and more sane voices – people who make their voices heard despite threats and the risk of stigmatization.

Sportbladet published an article with a brave young female track and field athlete some months ago. She competed abroad, and there was a huge outcry after she came second in a competition. She competed in hurdles, and in 2019 she competed against a biological man. In the article, she described the complete confusion, shock, and pain when she did not get that place that she had fought for throughout her entire life.

She also described the fear of being stigmatized. She was afraid of being sent back to Sweden and of not being allowed to participate in competitions if she expressed her feelings. She remained silent for a very long time. It is precisely that uncomfortable part that I find exceptional in this case.

Some time later, she nevertheless chose to post a picture on social media of the podium where she stood in second place, with the caption: I am the 2019 champion, the fastest biologically born woman in the race. The consequence of the post was an enormous storm of hate. It was written that she was a terrible person. Words such as transphobic, racist, and homophobic were used, and she was also threatened and warned against moving alone outdoors, coming to competitions, and so on.

In the article, she also said that one needs to give back the titles to the biologically born women who actually won their competitions, as well as remove the names and results of the biologically born men who competed in women's sports. She said that she wants people to take responsibility and simply apologize.

There were a lot of other problematizations in the article, about young girls being forced to shower with biological males and so on. I mean, at least more healthy voices need to be heard when it comes to these issues. This naturally also applies to us as politicians, as we heard in previous posts, not least the minister who is responsible for these issues.

If the requirement is that trans people should get their own competition or something else, then the government and the minister must be able to say what they actually think. I want to ask the minister how this is envisioned moving forward. As a Sweden Democrat and a conservative, I see no problem at all with having an opinion on this issue. Can the Minister for Social Affairs, in the capacity of a Christian Democrat, also have an opinion on the issue, even if the sports movement itself decides in reality?

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam President! I have accounted for the general starting points here. I did not do that only in the broadest sense, because one does not dare to say anything else, but I did it because this is what guides us in the work towards the Swedish Sports Confederation, which is free and independent in Sweden. It is they who design the competition regulations. If one wants it in a different way, one can, of course, pursue that.

I see that it is fundamentally a question of competence. We have 72 special sports federations, which naturally are those best suited to decide which competition regulations should apply in detail for the various things, as it also varies between sports what is relevant and what is not.

As I said, it is important that the rules are perceived as fair by everyone who participates and that women and men can participate on equal terms. We also welcome that the sports movement, both nationally and internationally, pays attention to these issues and actively works to develop clear rulebooks and competition formats that are perceived as fair and enable equal participation for women and men. These are quite reasonable starting points, I think.

Furthermore, it is reasonable that the sports federations themselves design their competition rules. If politicians are to do this in detail, I believe the risk is that it will simply become a poorer set of rules. It is about how one views the independence of sports and the sports' independent possibility for organization.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam Speaker! The Sweden Democrats will always defend women's right to fair conditions. We do not do this because it is uncomfortable, but we do it because we know that others are currently failing women. We do it because we listen to female elite athletes who testify about a culture of silence, about fear, and about resignation. These are voices that previously dared to speak about the unfair competitive conditions, but now they do not even dare to ask the question of biological justice.

We have in Sweden built a sports system that is claimed to rest on freedom and equality, but in practice, it is no longer self-evident that women compete against other women. It is no longer certain that the one who wins has actually competed on the same terms. When the biological reality is ignored, the entire system loses its credibility. Then women's sports becomes a facade.

The government says that the state should not govern sports, but the state already governs. The state sets requirements for values and equality. In that case, it is not unreasonable to also require that women should be able to compete against each other and not against male physical strength. The state already monitors sports' values and how they are applied. In that case, it is fully possible to also clarify how fair competitive conditions for women shall apply.

Madam Speaker! World Rugby has shown that women risk up to 30 percent more injuries in contact sports if they face players with a male body type. It is serious. To turn a blind eye to that risk is to leave women's safety aside for ideological convenience.

A Sifo survey from 2022 showed that two-thirds of Swedes do not think that people who have undergone male puberty should be allowed to compete in women's categories. Among women, the opposition is even stronger, and it is not a marginal perspective. It is about an intense understanding of fairness.

We have also, through the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, committed ourselves to ensuring women's opportunity to practice sports on equal terms. It is a legal obligation. It also applies when the wind blows. Then we cannot back down when precisely those conditions are challenged. Other countries dare to act – this shows that it is possible.

World Athletics, Fina, UCI and World Rugby, which I mentioned earlier, have not given up their values. They have defended them. What we in Sweden need is a national line that clearly states that women's sports must not be sacrificed for political correctness, that justice is not something we compromise away, and that courage is more important than media popularity.

Madam President! This is not about power. The government already has the tools. It is about will. It is about daring to say that certain things are not negotiable. Women's right to compete against other women is simply one of them.

I would like to ask the Minister a question: Is the Minister taking measures to ensure that the requirements for equality already imposed on the sports movement also include fair competitive conditions for women at the elite level?

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

Michael Rubbestad (SD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer and for the contribution to the debate!

The Sweden Democrats submitted a motion last October, that is, a proposal for the Riksdag to take a position on, that "men who identify as women should not be allowed to benefit from their biological body structure in competitions against biological women" and that "access to gender-specific facilities should be regulated to protect the privacy of all individuals." We then voted on this proposal in the chamber as recently as March 12 this year, that is, just about a month ago. All other parties in the Riksdag, including the government parties and the party that the Minister himself represents, said no to our proposal. One does not, therefore, want to prevent biological men from participating in women's sports, and one does not want to limit access to areas intended for women to only women. This is done with reference to the fact that it is something that the sports movement should handle itself.

But as we have heard in previous contributions, those who have pointed out and said that this is not fair or compatible with the overall gender equality goals in Sweden – that is, that women and men should have the same rights, opportunities, and conditions – have been told that they are transphobic, racists, or other insults. Here, the government must put its foot down and provide the support that is needed. The government must dare to signal that it is obviously okay for women to compete on the same terms as men and that it should be the same regardless of gender.

The government must put its foot down, because we see that the sports movement is not coping with this, for as soon as someone has said anything about this, that person is subjected to quite a lot of hate, threats and pressure.

I simply wonder: How is it compatible with the government's gender equality goals not to stand up for the women who are screaming for help?

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Angelika Bengtsson (SD)

Madam Speaker! Today we are talking about a very small group of trans people who compete in sports. One might ask why a set of rules should be changed for this small group. Is it fair? I do not think so.

I think that one should compete on equal terms. That is why we have this debate. Regulations often, as the Minister mentioned in the response, come from an international level. For that very reason, politics should also show where one stands on the issue. Sweden should be clear here. I do not think we in Sweden are today, and I regret that.

My question is therefore: Why does the government refuse to be clear on this issue? What is one afraid of? The sports movement will continue to be free, even if Jakob Forssmed puts his foot down and says what he really thinks. Why should we have a sports minister if he does not dare to take a stand on substantive issues that can be assumed to offend some or that can be sensitive?

We are politicians. We must draw the line somewhere if we want a fair regulatory framework.

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Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Madam President! As I mentioned in my previous speech, we have seen this movement for a long time. It has gone too far – that is what is argued in many places around the world. We see it in different ways. Last week, the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom ruled that the equality act's definition of "woman" shall be based on biological sex. It is an important milestone in the work that is now underway. This occurs after the women's movement in the United Kingdom has fought a long political struggle for justice and biological science.

One naturally needs to clarify clear truths. The strange thing about what is commonly called the postmodern ideology is that an objective truth actually does not exist, but everything is based on feelings.

The Minister writes in their response: "The question of gender identity and biological sex in relation to competitive sports is complex, and its relevance varies between different sports." But just as we heard earlier, politics would step in if there were to be enormous injustices and people were to be harmed in different places. It is our job as politicians – perhaps because public opinion says so, perhaps because citizens make their voices heard. But I mean that it is better that we as politicians anticipate this than that we are bypassed.

That the relevance varies between different sports is obvious. But how can it be complex that biological men are allowed to compete against biological women in sports at an elite level? I do not understand how it is complex. I wish the Minister could clarify it.

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam President! As I have already stated in this debate, it is clear from the government's side that the contribution to sports is given on the condition that girls and boys, and women and men, are given equal opportunities to participate in sports activities – that is important. This naturally also applies – to answer Sara Gilles' question – to elite activities, that it should be that way. But it is also reasonable that the respective sports federations design this in detail and then report back to the government on how they are working with these issues.

I note that many federations are actively working on these issues. Sara Gille and several other debaters themselves highlight World Athletics' work or the Swedish Athletics Association's work, for that matter, regarding these issues.

That one would not want to regulate 72 sports federations in detail and exactly how they should relate to their own competition rulebooks is not about any postmodern ideology. It is about practical wisdom and competence – who is best at determining what is relevant for the different sports so that women and men can participate on equal terms.

Questions back to the debaters then become: For how many months, for example, should one have had a low testosterone level? Who shall decide that? Should politicians step in and regulate this in detail? I believe that is bad. I believe it is better that the sports federations themselves do this under the basic premises of safeguarding fair competition conditions and equal opportunities for women and men to participate in sports.

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Sara Gille (SD)

Madam President! Female elite athletes who express concern about unfair competition conditions are often met with suspicion. That women in today's Sweden feel that they cannot even express concern for unfair competition conditions without being called transphobic or outdated is a failure for the entire public conversation. It is not enough to point to freedom of speech as a legal principle. It must also function in practice.

The Minister says that sport should be safe and democratic. But a true democracy requires that even uncomfortable opinions are heard without individuals risking their careers. It should be fully legitimate to point out that there is a biological difference that affects the outcome of competitions. It should not require courage to say the obvious.

Madam President! Elected representatives have a special responsibility to actually speak out. We must defend those who no longer dare to speak. We must set boundaries for what a fair sporting society actually means. It is not about pitting groups against each other. It is about saying that women's place in sports must not be negotiable.

I still hope that the government is ready to take that task seriously before more turn their backs on a sport that no longer stands up for them.

I would like to conclude my final point by asking the Minister: What is the government doing to ensure that female elite athletes who express concern in this matter are not silenced or risk reprisals within their federations?

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Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)

Madam President! I note once again that I received no answer regarding what testosterone levels one must have had – and for how long – to be counted as one or the other or to be able to participate in competitions and so on. That says something about the difficulty for politicians to step in and decide this. It is better that the federations decide which regulations are required based on the respective sport. It is about how to safeguard that women and men can participate on equal terms and under fair conditions in sports.

I state in my response and in this debate that several federations are working very actively with these issues. Dam and men's classes are protected in different ways precisely to safeguard fairness and the opportunity for women and men to participate under equal and good conditions that are perceived as fair by everyone. I think that is good, and I think it is good that the rules are designed based on the respective federations' circumstances.

I note that the government's approach to these issues is about safeguarding equality and safeguarding the opportunity for women and men to participate in sports. We also demand that the sports sector report back to the government on how they are working with this.

I also note that it is not the government's view that we should regulate the individual sports federations' own competition regulations in detail. This is best done by those who best know the conditions – it is about safeguarding equal and fair conditions for sports.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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