No, Sweden has not recognized sex as a sport

By: Ankita Kulkarni
June 6 2023

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Context

Several posts circulating on social media claim that Sweden has officially declared sex as a sport. This claim was reported by several Indian media outlets The Times of India, Hindustan Times, India Today, Wion, and others. One such post on Twitter stated, "On June 8, the highly anticipated European Sex Championship, which will be happening under the guidance of the Swedish Sex Federation, will be held." The post also provides additional details about the alleged championship.

The Times of India reported that the chairman of the Swedish Federation of Sex, Dragan Bratych, emphasized that sex as a sport was inevitable and necessary for physical and mental well-being. He said, "Just like any other sport, achieving desired results in sex requires training. Therefore, it is only logical for people to start competing in this domain as well."

However, these claims are incorrect; the country has not officially recognized sex as a sport. 

In Fact

According to a report published by Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten (GP), on April 26, 2023, an application was submitted by the Swedish Sex Federation for membership and recognizing sex as a sport, but it was rejected by the Swedish Sports Confederation (Swedish: Riksidrottsförbundet, RF). 

The report highlights that the application was submitted in January 2023 by Dragan Bratic, who runs several strip clubs in the Jönköping area and wanted sex to be classified as a sport. However, the RF rejected the application, stating that it was "incomplete." It also quoted the former chairperson of RF, Björn Eriksson, as saying, "It will not meet our requirements, and I can inform you that this application will be rejected." 

A report by Swedish television network TV4 from January 22, 2023, also quoted Eriksson as saying, "It is clear that sex is not part of their business," referring to the RF. He also added, "I just hope this nonsense goes away. It will be a unanimous no from us."

A press release by RF on April 26, 2023, also clarified that the application was rejected as it was incomplete.

The website of the "Swedish Sex Federation," shows a pop-up that states the "European Championship in sex organized by the Swedish Sex Federation will begin on June 8, 2023." If such an event does take place, it would be held independently and has no association with Sweden's official sports federation.

Logically Facts contacted the Interest Policy Manager at the Swedish Sports Confederation, Cecilia Lunell, who confirmed to us: “Right now, false information is being spread in some international media about Sweden and Swedish sports — these are vigorously denied. The Swedish Sports Confederation has drawn attention to the fact that in some parts of the international media, news is currently being spread that a sex federation has become a member of The Swedish Sports Confederation. It is false information with the aim of smearing Swedish sports and Sweden. There is no Sex Federation that is a member of the Swedish Sports Confederation. All this information is false.”

The Verdict

The application submitted by an independent organization for recognizing sex as a sport was rejected by the Swedish Sports Confederation. The country has not declared sex as a sport. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.