Updated 10.02 | Published 09.54
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The association forgot several participants when the EC squad was to be announced.
Now there is a rebellious mood among practitioners and leaders in Swedish taekwondo.
– What is going on is pathetic, says Patrick Karlsson, sports manager in Malmö Taekwondo.
Sweden will send a sprained squad to the taekwondo EC in Serbia on May 10. Nine players are likely to go to the championship, but several top-ranked players will stay at home.
One is Josef Alami in the 58-kilogram class, who was suspended for a year from the national team after a critical interview with SVT (a decision that was later overturned, but by then it was too late to report him). At least two others all have sporting qualifications, but were forgotten when the branch union STU emailed out the application form. According to Sportbladet’s information, STU has realized the mistake and is now trying to re-register the participants, but so far without results.
But the mess doesn’t end there.
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“Not worthy of a covenant”
The qualified practitioners were sent a summons on April 14. There, STU announced that the active must pay for the entire trip themselves: flight, hotel, transport, food and entry fee. Even national team uniforms could not be guaranteed.
The deadline to respond was two days later.
– It has basically been clear who will be allowed to go since December, yet they waited until the very end with the invitation. This makes all costs much more expensive. We could have booked the trip a long time ago. It is not worthy of a federation, says Patrick Karlsson, sports manager at Malmö Taekwondo, Sweden’s largest club.
The bill is further spiced up by the fact that STU did not book places at the official practitioner hotel, which the individual practitioners did not have the opportunity to do. According to several sources, this entails a penalty of SEK 1,750 per active member and SEK 1,200 per leader. The high costs have caused at least one active to refuse their place.
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Want to replace the wiring
– We expect a cost of SEK 30,000 for practitioners and leaders. It is unnecessarily expensive and has led to someone turning it down, says a person who wishes to remain anonymous.
Swedish taekwondo is in financial trouble. In 2021, the National Sports Confederation stopped its support to the federation due to deficiencies in values and democratic processes. Since then, the players and clubs have had to cover costs for international competition.
Sportbladet has spoken to a number of national team members and leaders who have unanimously expressed understanding that money is missing. But the EC chaos could still have been avoided with a little forethought and prioritization, they believe. Therefore, they think that a limit has been reached and that leading people in the branch union, including the president Fresia Pérez, should be replaced as soon as possible.
– Okay, we don’t get a penny, but now they are forcing the penalty on us. And we could have had a few weeks to plan the most important trip of the year, right? says a person who wishes to remain anonymous.
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“They are afraid of reprisals”
Patrick Karlsson in Malmö Taekwondo likes to raise his voice to bring about what he calls a long-awaited change.
– We are an Olympic sport, yet the development has only gone backwards, says Patrick Karlsson.
What do you hope will happen to Swedish taekwondo?
– I hope for a renewal in the association. New people and a new organization that can make the sport better.
If the criticism is so widespread, why do you think so few people come forward with their names in Sportbladet?
– Very simple. They are afraid of reprisals. Not to be taken out, that a reason should be found to turn them off. The printers have shown that nothing changes and that those who speak out are punished.
On May 5, the Swedish Taekwondo Association holds its general meeting. Sportbladet has applied to the branch union STU without success. During Tuesday, they emailed their members and asked for help planning upcoming international competitions. “Everyone who is willing and able to apply is welcome,” writes STU.
