The statistics come from the Swedish Sports Federation and have been compiled by the News Agency Siren. Even in Småland's sports federation, half the number of participants has been seen halving since 2004.

IFK Växjö is a unique athletics association and here you do not notice the dwindling interest in athletics among young people.

- We still have a large influx of new children and young people. Maybe there was a little more pressure in the early 2000s when, among other things, Carolina Klüft won the Olympic Games, but it is still a big interest, says coach Håkan Widlund.

Tougher for smaller compounds

On the other hand, he has noticed that many smaller associations have had to cut down on their activities.

- Everything depends on the fact that there is a good organization and leaders who run it. There has clearly been a decline in many smaller clubs over the past 10-15 years.

He also believes that the interest in athletics may increase again as more and more new stars break through.

- When new role models emerge, it also attracts many children and young people who want to start athletics.