Kyra: Idrott – Typical Swedish Sports

Popular sports in Sweden

The first sport I think of when I think Sweden (and any Nordic country) is Ice hockey. I am not going to lie, I still do not understand the rules whatsoever, but is it very entertaining to watch. The local ice hockey team in Örebro often also offers tickets to students with a discount. It is definitely a study in Örebro bucket list item to go to an ice hockey match. Both the Swedish men and women’s national teams are very good and possess multiple world championships and Olympic medals. Fun fact, Ice hockey is actually not the national sport of Sweden. That title belongs to no other sport than football.

During the winter season cross-country skiing is also very popular. Swedes are particularly good at this because in the winter it’s part of everyday life. Many people grow up skiing from a young age, not only as a sport but as a way to be outdoors. At Ånnaboda nature reserve they even create a dedicated cross-country skiing path during the winter season. So, you can borrow some skies at fritidsbanken and try it out yourself!

Unique Swedish sports

Whether these sports are actually unique might be up for debate, but they are definitely unique to me. The last wintery sport I want to mention is Bandy. The best way to describe this is if you were to combine field hockey with ice hockey. So they play this on ice, with hockey sticks but instead of a puck they use a ball. From my understanding, the rules are a little more similar to football than to hockey. Also an incredibly popular sport in Sweden.

Another sport I’d never heard of before moving to Örebro is Orienteering. This is a sport where you race through the woods using only a map and a compass to find hidden checkpoints. It’s very important to be good at running, but you also need to be smart because the fastest route matters just as much as speed. Sweden is one of the best countries in the world with this sport.

Lastly, I want to mention Innebandy or floorball in English. This is a sport I only used to play once in a while during PE, but here in Sweden it is also pretty popular. It is an indoor, fast-paced sport that is similar to hockey but played with lightweight sticks and a plastic ball. This sport was actually developed in Sweden, hence it’s popularity. It’s mainly placed in schools and local clubs. If you are interested, the campus gym organises innebandy a few times per week as part of their ball sport passes.

These are all sports that stood out to me since moving to Sweden. Which of these sports would you like to try?