Sara Lennman was one of the athletes who was kicked out of the Swedish Olympic squad for Paris 2024. The shot putter then chose - together with five others - to take the case to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The outcome there?
Rejection.
Just as the Swedish Athletics Federation has received rejections in previous years to motions at the Swedish Olympic Committee's (SOK) annual meetings regarding selections.
New motion
A new motion has been submitted for Tuesday's annual meeting - plus an op-ed - and despite SOK's board proposing rejection, the Swedish Athletics Federation is hopeful of success.
"We hope we have a good response from other federations, who understand the importance of a fairer distribution," says David Fridell.
The Swedish Athletics Federation's motion is that Olympic selections should, as a general rule, be based on the international qualifying rules and not on SOK's own requirements, which state that you should either have a chance of a top-twelve placement, or be selected based on the so-called future criteria.
What have you done to involve others?
"There have been many conversations with various federations," says Fridell.
What signals have you received?
"We have lost before, but we are hopeful of a positive decision now. It seems that, when we talk to others, there is understanding."
"Important question"
How long can you keep fighting this?
"Our member associations are extremely clear that this is an important issue for achieving effective and sound elite operations and security in the sport. So as long as our members want us to pursue the issue, we will do so."
Fact: This is how Swedish athletes are selected for the Olympics
+ Top 12 criterion: The athlete must have achieved results and be considered capable of competing for at least a twelfth-place finish at the Olympics. The basic criterion must be met in the highest level international competition.
+ The future criterion: SOK can select active athletes who do not meet the basic criterion, but who are considered to have the potential to compete at the top level in future Olympics.
+ Exemption criteria: In special cases, exceptions can be made to the basic criteria. A prerequisite for a possible exception is that the athlete has met the international qualification or quota criteria. Decisions on any exceptions are made by the SOK Board or a group appointed by the Board.
Source: Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK)
