4 - FIFA/CIES International University Network

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
NORDIC REGIONS
The 2009 NHL Premiere Stockholm match between St. Louis Blues
and Detroit Red Wings at the Ericsson Globe - Getty Images Sport
PUTTING NORDICS ON THE MAP
Scandinavia’s size means it is rarely
on the consideration list for hosting
mega-events like the FIFA World
Cup and the Summer Olympics -
though the Winter Olympics did
come to Lillehammer, Norway, in
1994 and Sweden staged Euro 1992,
a tournament won by neighbours
Denmark.
BIDDING AS CO-HOSTS is an option that
Scandinavian nations have recently employed
to boost their bidding prospects although recent
attempts have not come to fruition.
First, a four-nation Euro 2008 bid was
rejected - then a Sweden-Norway bid to host
Euro 2016 collapsed due to lack of government
support. This isn’t the only example of a Swedenbacked
initiative coming unstuck. The Swedish
Golf Federation was also forced to withdraw its
bid to host the 2018 Ryder Cup due to a weak
economy and trouble getting government funds.
However such setbacks have not dampened local
enthusiasm for hosting events.
Currently, Stockholm is in the midst of a
massive stadium construction programme which
will see two new venues ready for action by 2012.
Sweden lining up sport
In terms of recent and upcoming sporting
events hosted by Sweden, the World Figure
Skating Championship in 2008, this year’s
FINA Masters World Championship, the
2011 Men’s Handball World Championship
and the 2013 European Indoor Athletics
Championships are all firmly written, or will be
soon, into the country’s CV.
Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe has also hosted
sports events including NHL season openers
for the last two seasons. While Stockholm
looks set to enter a dynamic new phase of event
hosting, it’s interesting to note that the four
major events mentioned above have strong
southern Sweden connections - with the cities
of Gothenburg and Malmo both playing pivotal
roles as hosts.
Gothenburg has an illustrious track record
hosting events while Malmo has one of Europe’s
most modern sporting and entertainment
arenas (and will be the venue for the final of the
2011 Men’s Handball World Championships).
The success of Malmo and Gothenburg is
partly down to the fact that they are relatively
close to the continental European mainland - a
factor which has also played well for Sweden’s
southern neighbour, Denmark. While Sweden
has struggled to get government support for
some ‘A-list’ events, the Danish authorities
have made it clear that they sees sport as a
political priority.
Last year, for example, was Denmark’s ‘Year
Of Sport’ - a publicly-backed initiative designed,
in part, to attract major events to the country.
“It is crucial for Denmark’s potential to host
international sport events,” said Minister for
Sport and Culture Carina Christensen. “Our
goal is to raise awareness of Denmark through
the sport events we host. In the long-term it will
78 SportBusiness International • No. 160 • 09.10