Athletes’ careers in Sweden: Facilitating socialization into sports and re- socialization upon retirement

Abstract

Fact note: Sweden is located in Northern Europe and covers 450,295 km 2 . It has a population of about 9.4 million, consisting of Swedes, Finnish and Sami minorities, and foreign-born or rst-generation immigrants (e.g. Yugoslavs, Greeks, Turks). The of cial language is Swedish and the dominant religion is Lutheranism. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and has been an EU member since 1995. Aided by peace and neutrality since the beginning of the 19th century, Sweden has achieved a high standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare bene ts. Sport: Sport clubs lay the foundation of the Swedish sport system, which is governed by the Swedish Sports Confederation and 70 Sport Federations. The Swedish Olympic Committee administers Swedish athletes’ participation at the Olympic Games and currently Sweden occupies seventh place in the Olympic medals table for the years 1896-2010. The most popular team sports are football, ice hockey and handball. Other popular sports are skiing, biathlon, tennis, swimming, track and eld, orienteering and golf. Career research and assistance: Major research trends consist of athletes’ socialization and talent development in their sport, athletic retirement, and within-career athletic and non-athletic transitions. There is also a national-level program facilitating dual careers in sport and education at 51 national elite sport schools (RIGS).