Sweden’s former gambling monopoly, Svenska Spel, has launched a new initiative to support aspiring pro athletes. The Elite Sports Scholarship program will see the operator pay scholarships to 50 young players.

Svenska Spel Will Pay Scholarships to 50 Athletes

As announced by Svenska Spel, the state-owned company will fund a total of 50 scholarships throughout its Elite Sports Scholarship program for the next year. Svenska Spel explained that the program’s recipients will receive around $4,500 in addition to various other benefits. Moreover, the Swedish Sports Confederation’s Elite Sports Support department will provide the athletes with active support in terms of medicine and psychology.

The initiative seeks to encourage young sports players by providing them with the monetary and medical support they need. Svenska Spel hopes to make athletes’ lives easier and set them up for a sustainable careers in professional sports. The program is aimed at aspiring athletes who are still studying at a college or university.

The Swedish operator selected 50 scholarship recipients across the 373 applicants. The company said that a total of 186 men and 187 women from 56 different sports disciplines applied for the program. Svenska Spel added that the 50 people it approved represent 38 different sports and 32 different sports associations.  According to the company, 23 of the scholarship recipients are men and 27 are women.

It Is Important to Encourage Young Talents

Nicklas Biverståhl, the head of sponsorships at Svenska Spel, reasserted that the company is committed to supporting professional sports. To that end, the company is glad to support the development of young talents – something that the operator believes to be crucial for a healthy sports sector.

Biverståhl pointed out that few people are able to manage to play sports professionally while still in university. Because of that, Svenska Spel wants to intervene and help such motivated people fulfill their ambitions.  

Liselotte Ohlson, the Swedish Sports Confederation’s head of elite sports, added that more aspiring athletes seem to be aware of the possibility of having another career after their professional sports career has ended.

Meanwhile, the Swedish gaming market continues its war on illegal gambling. Last month, the Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, banned Ease Gaming from doing business in the country. The regulator found out that the operator had been illegally operating in the country for a while and had been actively targeting Swedish players.

On the same note, the Spelinspektionen just announced that only 8% of the gamblers in the country pick unlicensed gambling operators.