On Saturday, the 18th season of SVT's "Champions of Champions" premieres. This year, the competitors are all returning participants, including seven previous winners. New this season, participants compete in pairs with the same sporting background. In addition, the program has a new host - the first time since it started in 2009.
Karin Frick, who succeeds Micke Leijnegard, is a high-profile sports journalist who has worked for TV4, Discovery and HBO Max, among other outlets. Last winter, she joined SVT as a program host for the Winter Olympics. "Champions of Champions" is different from her usual work, which consists of live broadcasts.
You might think that taping everything is much easier than broadcasting live, but if you're used to being able to control quite a lot yourself, it's a little different.
Standing outside the storm
Frick describes the assignment as honorable, but says there are "big shoes to fill" after Leijnegard. She has tried to stay out of the storm surrounding her predecessor - who was convicted of sexual harassment in November.
I can only focus on the fact that I have been asked and on the assignment. I can't really take responsibility for what has happened.
Frick has tried to put her own stamp on the program, mainly by creating a warm atmosphere where the participants can relax. When asked if her career at SVT will continue, she answers vaguely:
We'll see. I think it's been absolutely wonderful to come to SVT.
More nervous than expected
Ten former Olympic athletes are competing in this year's edition. Among them are Peter Forsberg and Anja Pärson, who are competing in teams with Danijela Rundqvist and André Myhrer, respectively. Both said they liked the team setup. Pärson knew that she and Myhrer would work well together.
We are very unpretentious in our approach to competitions and fundamentally know that alpine skiers are versatile, says Pärson.
Forsberg won the competition in 2016 and the dream was to once again “pull the dent over your skull.” The competition nerves during the recording were unexpected.
I didn't expect to take it so seriously. It was pretty cool to know that the winner's skull is still there. I couldn't have wished for a better teammate than Danijela; we've had a blast and encouraged each other.
Sofie Fogde/TT
Facts: "Champions of Champions" 2026
TT
"Champions of Champions" is a competition program broadcast on SVT. It involves former Swedish elite athletes challenging each other in various sports.
The program has been broadcast every year since 2009 with Micke Leijnegard as host. This year, Karin Frick is hosting the program.
The 2026 season has an Olympic focus, as SVT is broadcasting the Olympics for the first time since 2012.
This year, Anja Pärson, Peter Forsberg, Michel Tornéus, Therese Alshammar, Danijela Rundqvist, Emma Green, Anders Södergren, Lars Frölander, Magdalena Forsberg and André Myhrer will participate. All have participated previously.
The season begins airing on Saturday, March 14 at 8 p.m. local time in Sweden.
