Despite the government's clear sign: the elite series in the speedway does not start

After football, the speedway is the sport that attracts most crowds during the summer. But it is not relevant for the elite series to start in June, despite today's message from the Public Health Authority and the government. The reason is that the restriction on the fact that crowds of more than 50 people remain.

"We must have the public revenue to run the business," says Holmstrand, who is thus vice-president of the elite clubs' cooperative organization Elitspeedway Sweden (ESS).

So it's not relevant to run without an audience for you?

- No, there is no economy in it. In that case, we need to find alternative revenue. The clubs do not have that structure and no TV agreements like the football hall Swede to fall back on. So audience revenue is needed in some form, and yet we haven't found any alternative channels to get that money in.

During the end of the indoor sports season, several clubs carried out various campaigns, where fans could buy fictitious tickets to the matches that were played without an audience. That solution does not think ESS would work for them.

- Some may have enough supporters, but not all, says Mikael Holmstrand.

How worried are you about the club's survival, should these restrictions remain throughout the summer?

- It's very serious. There is a great risk that clubs will go bankrupt and that associations will be affected in the long term, which we unfortunately think is a little unnecessary as it looks now. We follow other entertainment-related parts and it is clear that it provokes us when we see that amusement parks plan to open in a few weeks and be able to receive thousands of visits on grounds that you can regulate queues and that you stay outdoors - but it is in principle, what we do, so we ask ourselves about the negative special treatment that sports face relatively compared to the amusement parks.

Have you got any indications that you could be open to the public in any way during the summer?

- No, not actually. I understand that you take one step at a time and am afraid of abuse. But there needs to be a consequence in the parts that are done. That you obey different regulations if you are a sports team, amusement park or zoo I think people have a hard time understanding.

ESS has now said that August 11 is a possible start date for running a single series, and it is hoped that it will be enough to save all the elite series clubs.

- Hopefully, you can balance it a bit with what it costs. It is clear that the clubs are humble for it to be another level this year, but I think that both the audience and sponsors understand and respect. It is most important to get some business started than none at all.