Filip Andersson
Dept. of Sport Science, Linnæus University
In the summer of 2020, the Swedish Ministry of Education presented a proposal for changes in upper secondary school sport education. In the proposal, it is highlighted that the number of sports schools and the number of student-athletes, has increased. It is argued that the increase has led to a decrease in quality of the student-athletes. Consequently, the Ministry of Education wants to establish one school sport system, hence reducing the number of athlete-students admitted, introduce supplementary selection criteria and exceptions to the main regulation on education free of charge. The main aim is to generate a clear, more transparent, and sustainable system for School sports in upper secondary education (Ministry of Education 2020, p. 5).
In this text, I reflect on the above-mentioned proposal and its possible implication for the selection of student-athletes. The article begins with an overview of the development of the Swedish school sports system, as well as an assessment of the proposals which highlight supplementary selection criteria and exceptions to the main regulation on free education. Further, I discuss definitions of elite level sports and investment in elite sport, the selection processes that occur in upper secondary elite sport schools and the student-athletes socio-economic backgrounds. In conclusion, it is emphasized that before the proposals become a reality, it is of importance to discuss the possible implications that they may entail.security aspects.
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