Swedish Sports Confederation (RF) is an umbrella organization with the task of supporting its member federations and, in an official capacity, representing the whole Swedish sports movement in contacts with the authorities, politicians etc.High priority is given to employing the full force of a united popular movement vis-à-vis political decision-makers.

The Swedish Sports Confederation is a powerful organ of opinion in the service of Swedish sport, continually clarifying the responsibility that sport assumes and the positive values that the popular movement represents. The Swedish Sports Confederation is a regular consultative partner of the government as well as collaborating with government departments and ministries. One of the Swedish Sports Confederation’s overriding tasks is that of providing strategic leadership for Swedish sport pertaining to matters of finance, organization and communications. The Swedish Sports Confederation also initiates and supports interdisciplinary research in medicine, physiology, sociology, technique and the behavioural sciences.
It is the Swedish Sports Confederation that defends the legitimacy of sport and reports on the current state of sport, illuminating its extent and importance.

In the present project the Swedish Sports Confederation will collaborate with the Section of Sports
Medicine, Department of Community Medicine & Rehabilitation, Umeå University creating a teachers’ group with expertise in the field of exercise testing and interpretation. Umeå University has been since 2014 appointed by the Swedish Sports Confederation as Swedish National Sports University. Swedish Sports Confederation’s decision was based on a series of criteria regarding a) the quality of education offered in the fields of sports science and sports medicine, b) the applied research produced by the university’s researchers in the above mentioned fields as well as c) the study opportunities offered to the elite athletes attending university’s courses.

ESC2 project

Swedish Sports Confederation is responsible for both the Swedish Sports Education (SISU) as well as for providing support to elite athletes through the Bosön Top Sport Centre. SISU’s main aim is to cater for the needs of clubs and special sports federations in training leaders, coaches, trainers, instructors, officials and referees. One often used methodology is the study-circle, which is based on the concept of a syllabus being followed by a group of club members who share their knowledge and experience. It is led not by a teacher but by one of the participants. SISU Sports Education is also an internal consultant for member federations and clubs in such fields as organizational development and process management. SISU Sports Education is also responsible for the Bosön Education Centre.

The National Sport Complex at Bosön is home to the Swedish sports movement’s institute for elite support. Its Top Sport Centre lab facilities contain state-of-the-art equipment that is used for conducting tests for both research and training planning purposes in elite athletes.

Section of Sports Medicine, Umeå University has a long tradition of collaboration with elite athletes, elite sport clubs and national federations. More specific, national federations like Ski-, Hockey- and Floorball Federation have in collaboration with Umeå University financed PhD studies and different research projects highlighting Umeå University’s expertise and significance for elite sports in Sweden. More specifically two PhD students have conducted their research at the Department of Community Medicine & Rehabilitation regarding exercise testing and prediction of performance in alpine skiing and hockey respectively.
Last but not least the Department of Community Medicine & Rehabilitation, Section of Sports Medicine has an extensive experience in education providing courses and modules in undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels. In addition, Department’s teachers and researchers are delivering courses and lectures for strength & conditioning coaches both in Sweden and abroad in close collaboration with the Swedish Sports Confederation.

All university teachers and researchers participating in project activities have an extensive experience in both teaching and training practice as it is clear from their attached CVs.