The fact that the Public Health Authority (FHM) has given the go-ahead to adult sports from June 14 does not help the Stockholm Marathon as there may still be no public gatherings of more than 50 people, and there are also restrictions on traveling over two hours.

Next week, FHM will issue new general recommendations regarding the summer.

- We hope that there will then be a definition of what you mean by summer - is it until August 15, August 31, September 15? It affects us a lot, says Almgren.

- Above all, we want a long-term plan for what applies to summer and what applies after summer ends.

Decision at the end of June

He says they have tried to postpone decisions as far as possible, and has negotiated with suppliers and others. When it comes to the marathon, which would have gone on Saturday but postponed until September 5, there is a deadline that cannot be exceeded for financial reasons.

- Our own deadline is around midsummer, an absolute limit around the end of June-July, when we need to know if we can drive on September 5.

It sounds to Almgren that it is not relevant to move the maran, which usually attracts around 20,000 participants, one more time - although there are among all the scenarios you are looking at. Partly because it is a complicated process to shut down the entire Stockholm inner city for a whole day, and partly because a move with a margin would mean a race first in November.

- And then there may be snow in Stockholm.

"Nobody meets those demands"

Sports federations that organize major exercise events in running, triathlon, skiing, orientation and swimming warn in a debate article on Aftonbladet's website that organizers will not survive if they are forced to repay the registration fees to the participants - something that the Consumer Agency demands.

- If we have to pay back the registration fees, we are not left. Then the Girl Miles, maran, half-maran, Gothenburg Shipyard, Vätternrundan - all disappear. Nobody can handle those demands, says Almgren.

- Our business is a zero sum game, all money generated goes back to sports.

Almgren says that the restructuring and layoffs that are available are not adapted for competition organizers and that he does not believe that they will receive much from the 500 million that the sport received in extra support from the state during the corona pandemic.