Kälksportförbundet: We are in danger of extinction

Swedish kälksportförbundet, which until last year was called Bob and rodelförbundet, together with the Swedish landshockeyförbundet the two covenants that is proposed to be excluded from the RF at the Riksidrottsmötet the next month. It is the first time that sports are forced to leave idrottsfamiljen.

the Covenants, does not live up to the criterion that a covenant must have 25 member associations. Kälksportförbundet have 14 associations, but at the same time, the number of members has grown considerably the last two seasons to about 1,500. In particular, increasing the attractiveness of the alpine luge. Therefore, we think that the number of practitioners should be the criterion rather than the number of clubs.

– It would be a better way to measure the size and relevance, says Niclas Bentzer, who believe that there is a great risk that Riksidrottsmötet vote through the Riksidrottsstyrelsens proposal.

, he thinks, would have major consequences for his sport, which he believes are at risk of extinction in the country.

"Just for that I taken a liking to a sport that not so many other taken a liking to, I may not be able to keep on with it," says Bentzer and continues:

– To be in the game, has great benefits, not only financially, but also in order to belong to a family, where you have a large stödapparat. You are not in the RF may also have large consequences for society. It will for example be difficult in the dialogue with the municipalities to find practice times and the possibility to get local support, " he says.

olympic sports. Bentzer says that the exclusion would also affect the possibility to get the Swedish olympian in the branches. This, he believes, is completely at odds with Sweden's ambitions to get the winter OLYMPICS in 2026.

the FOUNDATION's investigation into the anslutningsformer encourages smaller unions to cooperate and seek mergers. Bentzer says that it is exploring this possibility, but also hope to find a ”fallback” to remain as a private covenant. This by a motion to the annual general meeting, which proposes that all olympic sports should be automatically members of the FOUNDATION.

threatened with expulsion. The secretary-general Monika Stylin says that during a longer period of time worked in order to get more member clubs, but today only has 13 pieces.

"We've got new clubs, but at the same time have some joined together and others have disappeared, and it makes that we have not managed to grow," she says.

the Federation has known about the risk of expulsion and, therefore, already investigated the possibilities for that along with other småförbund form a larger, or go in under a different covenant. Bandy, ice hockey or floorball is seen as possible alternatives.

Stylin mean that the risk of a merger is that the field hockey is losing its identity.

"But of course you have to weigh this against the fact that we may not be left in the FOUNDATION," says Stylin, as today is the league's only full-time employees.

and to do that the money for the league in the higher the degree can get the athletes to spare.

" Our ambition is that we should be left in the RF in some form and we are looking at different solutions. My sense is that many want to wait for the Riksidrottsmötet before you decide how it should look like in the future, " says Stylin.

According to Niclas Bentzer has also Kälksportförbundet examined the possibilities of mergers.

Read more: Styrelseförslaget: Throw out the covenants and nobba e-sports