Sports Associations on Trans Inclusion
Specialist sports organisations participating in the project Sports for all bodied talk about why they want to work with trans issues.
The Swedish Football Association
Name: Håkan Sjöstrand
Title: Secretary-general
Why do you want to be part of the project Sports for all bodies?
We need more knowledge about trans people and what they need to be able to participate in sports on the same terms as non-trans people. The project can give us that, and at the same time we, along with the other sports represented in the project, can contribute with sport-specific knowledge.
How do you as an organisation work with issues regarding inclusion in sports?
We work and live in accordance with our core-values where we show openness and respect for people’s equal worth. We also work to counteract all forms of discrimination and are a driving force in the work for equality and integration, for example through Alla Är Olika – Olika Är Bra.
What are your current priorities regarding trans people’s participation in sports?
To provide the tools that make it possible to take part in football activities and feel welcome.
What is your vision regarding trans people and sports?
That trans people should feel included in the Swedish Football Association’s overall vision, Fotboll – Nationalsporten – För alla överallt.
The Swedish Floorball Federation
Name: Märit Bergendahl
Title: President
Why do you want to be part of the project Sports for all bodies?
The project Sports for all bodies gives us knowledge about trans people and the challenges they face in sports. Therefore, we didn’t hesitate to participate. We need the knowledge in order to live up to our steering document Svensk Innebandy Vill.
How do you as an organisation work with issues regarding inclusion in sports?
Inclusion is part of our basic principles; that we should treat everybody equally and with respect. Everybody can participate. We acknowledge everybody and make them part of our organisation. In order to live up to that, we need to whether our sport is open for everybody. We also need to figure out how we can make floorball a sport for everybody,or even more than a sport.
What are your current priorities regarding trans people’s participation in sports?
To review our contest rules to create better pre-conditions so that everybody can participate.
What is your vision regarding trans people and sports?
One of the Swedish Floorball Federation’s strategic goals for 2025 reads as follows:
”Preconditions (for example rules, policies, game regulations) are updated to make it easy to start playing, continue playing and coming back to floorball – for everybody.” The project Sports for all bodies is a way for us to achieve that goal.
The Swedish Volleyball Federation
Name: Martin Kihlström
Title: National association manager
Why do you want to be part of the project Sports for all bodies?
It’s natural for us to want to participate. We want everybody to feel welcome in our sport. We focus on sports, fun and community and competition categories like women/men/mixed shouldn’t be an obstacle for someone who wants to play volleyball. Since multiple organisations are involved, and with the RFSL’s expertise, we can support, and learn from, each other in removing obstacles and changing excluding regulations.
How do you as an organisation work with issues regarding inclusion in sports?
Our mission statement includes working for inclusion in sports and counteracting all forms of discrimination. We work actively with these issues and want that to be reflected in our communication. Another concrete example is that we think inclusively when we, for example, change the competition rules in our three disciplines: volleyball, beach-volley, and snow-volley.
What are your current priorities regarding trans people’s participation in sports?
It should be easy for you to choose a team or training group based on your own preferences. We are currently reviewing our information and recommendations for our 190 organisations around the country. The children’s convention applies to children’s sports so that all children should feel safe and welcome.
What is your vision regarding trans people and sports?
That everybody should feel welcome in sports in general and in Swedish volleyball in particular, and that we provide the preconditions for a life long participation in sports, for everybody.
The Swedish Skating Association
Name: Maurine Filip
Title: President
Why do you want to be part of the project Sports for all bodies?
We have been working on a gender policy for roller derby for a few years and are very proud of having such a progressive and including sport in our organisation. We notice that we need to become better at working with the inclusion of LGBTQ people in our other sports and that there’s a need for knowledge development in these issues. The work on inclusion is important and we as an organisation need to work continuously with his issue.
How do you as an organisation work with issues regarding inclusion in sports?
Our work is based on the Swedish Sports Confederation’s basic principles and on the belief that everybody should feel welcome in our sport. We are a small organisation and therefore we use the Swedish Sports Confederation’s educational materials. We also maintain a close relationship with our clubs, which means that we can have an active and personal dialogue.
What are your current priorities regarding trans people’s participation in sports?
That the issue will be addressed by all our sports.
What is your vision regarding trans people and sports?
That everybody feels that they are welcome and that they form an integral part of all our sports.
The Swedish Basketball Federation
Name: Mats Carlson
Title: President of the Swedish Basketball Federation
Why do you want to be part of the project Sports for all bodies?
We want to learn more to make sure that people aren’t excluded from our organisation because of our ignorance. Everybody should be able to play basketball!
How do you as an organisation work with issues regarding inclusion in sports?
One of our basic principles, as well as our vision, is everybody’s right to participate. An important part of our on-going policy work is making sure that each club and each district bases their work on this principle and vision. We have produced educational material on these issues that everybody can access.
What is your work like right now?
We have discussed inclusion and I believe that all basketball clubs across Sweden admit trans people on youth and amateur levels. We have had one trans-related case on a professional level, and we learned a lot from that. I believe we are now equipped to deal with this issue on that level too.
What is your vision regarding trans people and sports?
We don’t have a specific vision for trans people. They are as welcome in our sport as anyone else! If there’s someone in basketball-Sweden who hasn’t caught on yet, they will after reviewing our on-going policy work.
The Swedish Budo & Martial Arts Federation
Name: Fredrik Gundmark
Title: President of the the Swedish Budo & Martial Arts Federation
Why do you want to be part of the project Sports for all bodies?
Martial arts have long been viewed as inclusive in that both youth and older individuals, people with different socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, abilities, and disabilities have been able to practice the sport together. There’s a basic principle about everybody being welcome.
However, we see that martial arts are still dominated by masculinity norms and that women and LGBTQ people aren’t naturally included in all our sports. We know that it’s easier to include what we are familiar with and that we learn by communication and knowledge exchange. Within martial arts, we need to become better at working with the inclusion of LGBTQ people in our organisations and boards and we see that there’s a need for knowledge development in these issues. We want to continue being known as the sport that accepts and includes everybody.
How do you as an organisation work with issues regarding inclusion in sports?
Our work to address these issues and discuss them in our own board room, with our sub organisations and clubs is based on the Swedish Sports Federation’s directions and our cooperation with them. Among other things we are educating young leaders, organising training for trainers and organising conferenses for our sub-organisation where we, for example, have participated in workshops together. We already have a policy called “open diversity”, but it is currently being re-worked. We hope to be able to present suggestions for approach and basic values based on the grounds of discrimination and want to get our members involved in that process, for example through dialogue and feedback on ideas and suggestions.
We have been represented at Stockholm Pride for several years.
What are your current priorities regarding trans people’s participation in sports?
It’s a priority that all trans people should feel welcome in all sports organised under the Swedish Budo & Martial Arts Federation.
But in order for that to happen, we need more visibility. We have to become the obvious choice for trans people when they choose sports. That isn’t the case today.
What is your vision regarding trans people and sports?
To be the obvious choice.