Swedish gambling operator Svenska Spel has revealed that it donated more than SEK4.3m (£343,084/€405,213/$446,417) to youth sports associations in the country through its ‘Prispallen’ initiative during 2019.
Through Prispallen, Svenska Spel agrees to commit SEK10,000 to youth sports in Sweden each time an athlete secures a podium place in an international sporting event.
Swedish athletes took a record 432 international podium finishes in 2019, of which 90 were achieved by the Svenska Budo- & Kampsportsförbundet, the governing body for budo and fighting sports in the country. This saw it secure SEK900,000 in funding from Svenska Spel.
The Styrkelyftförbundet, which oversees competitive powerlifting, followed with 30 podium places and SEK300,000 in funding, then the Orienteering Association with 29 finishes and SEK290,000, the Racerbåtförbundet on 26 places for boat racing events and SEK260,000, then the Skiing Association with 20 podium finishes and SEK200,000.
Tove Alexandersson was the most successful Swedish athlete in 2019, winning a total of seven medals across orientation and ski orientation. These included four World Cup golds and one World Cup silver, as well as one European gold and one European bronze.
“Swedish sport has a strong international standing and 432 medals, or just over one medal per day for the year, is incredibly impressive,” Svenska Spel’s chief executive Patrik Hofbauer said.
“We at Svenska Spel are, as Sweden’s largest sports sponsor, very proud and happy to be able to distribute this money that will help strengthen youth sports around the country,” he said. “It is through broad youth sport and good talent development that we lay the foundations for future international success.”
In November last year, Svenska Spel also announced that it had donated over SEK50m to grassroots sports in Sweden for the seventh consecutive year as part of its Gräsroten initiative.
Funding was distributed to a total of 8,556 associations across 71 sports, with more than half of this (SEK29.9m) going to football. Ice hockey followed with SEK5.8m, and then floorball with SEK2.2m.
