CLAIM
Several news media reported that the Swedish government through the Swedish Sports confederation has adopted sex as sports.
VERDICT: FALSE!
VERIFICATION
News have been making rounds for the past one week on sex officially becoming a sporting activity in Sweden.
They claimed that a first-ever European sex championship will hold June 8 in Gothenburg.
Local and international news outlets reported that a championship is due to commence June 8, 2023 in Gothenburg.
Joining the wagon, Nigerian media – PulseNG reported here, Encounter here while Vanguard media went further to give details of the competition here
Former Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani has also via Twitter warned that the sex competition announced in Sweden should not be brought to Nigeria.
Findings showed that the idea of a sex championship began with a strip club owner, Dragan Bratic who also heads a Swedish sex federation.
He had been having issues with politicians and locals on his strip joints since 2012.
He has for long been leading the campaign that sex be recognized as a sporting activity.
In January, 2023, he moved that sex be adopted as sports in the country by sending a request to the Swedish Sports Federation.
The national sports confederation in Sweden however turned down the request.
In Sweden, the National Sports Confederation is a membership group of 179 sports associations such as the Athletic Association, American Football Federation, and Military Sports Federation, amongst others.
Recently, the Swedish Sports confederation officially recognized Swedish ESports.
The Swedish Esports Association had been attempting to join the Confederation for quite some time to no avail, as reported by Swedish newspaper Expressen.
This was perhaps mistaken for the acceptance of sex federation.
According to reports, the Swedish Sex Association alongside the Swedish Canoe Slalom Association failed to complete paperwork in time and were automatically rejected.
The Head of communication and Press of the Swedish sports confederation, Anna Setzman has written to debunk the rumour.
“Right now, false information is being spread in some international media about Sweden and Swedish sports – these are vigorously denied.
“The Swedish Sports Confederation has drawn attention to the fact that in some parts of the international media news is currently being spread that a Sex federation has become a member of The Swedish Sports Confederation.
“It is false information with the aim of smearing Swedish sports and Sweden. There is no Sex Federation that is a member of the Swedish Sports Confederation. All this information is false,” she said.
Unconfirmed reports are that Bratic is using the fake news to play a PR stunt for the sex European sex championship.
Though Bratic said plans are underway to host the championship, it however has no ties with the Swedish Sports confederation or Swedish government.
Bractic said “it’s a shame that SSF (Swedish Sex Federation) was not helped by the 2 billion Swedish kronor allocated (by the Swedish government) to registered sports organizations.”
“The Swedish Sex Federation finances the entire European Championship with its own funds and with its own voluntary work,” he added.
It is however uncertain what role the Swedish government will play on the legality of the proposed championship.
CONCLUSION
The claim that Sweden has adopted sex as sports and is organizing an European sex competition is FALSE
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