"RF should put its foot down"

According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, you are a child until you are 18 years old.

In Sweden, children are up to 12 years old according to the Swedish Sports Confederation.

Per "Pelle" Paulsson is a major sponsor of sports life in Värmdö outside Stockholm, who thinks that the law should be better followed by the sports movement.

He is critical of RF, and a bit of the youth sports dilemma with so-called "topping" at an early age.

He himself makes sure that everyone is allowed to participate.

- I think that RF should put its foot down.

I think you join the children's convention and then you are a child until you are 18 years old.

No topping is allowed there, and no segmentation.

Top is for me is bullying.

I do not think it is nice, says Pelle Paulsson.

Paulsson tells of an example that he thinks is contrary to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

- It was an association that would be part of USM.

They had 23 girls in the squad, but were only allowed to call 17 to USM.

Then the leaders say to these girls who were not allowed to join that "it is good if you come and check and cheer on".

It's bullying.

It's awful, he says.

He instead thinks that the rules should be changed.

- If not all 23 are allowed to participate, well then they can change the rules.

Or this team says that if not all 23 can join, then we are not with.

It's all about not being shitty towards children, says Pelle Paulsson.

No standard model

Björn Eriksson, chairman of the Swedish Sports Confederation, thinks that the issue is broader than the laws and regulations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

- I think that the Convention on the Rights of the Child is directly morally binding.

We'll follow it.

But it's so different.

The only ones who can answer that are the children.

for us adults, it is about finding something that makes them come to us, rather than digging into exact rules.

Where it is said that this is how it should be, this is how everyone should do, whether it is football, athletics or archery.

The process of finding the best for the children is in full swing.

And then there is no universal medicine.

But for whose sake are we doing this?

Yes, the children, says Björn Eriksson.

According to Björn Eriksson, RF will not develop any standard model for the children's convention's laws in Swedish youth sports.

- That would be wrong.

We notice in the non-profit association life that people think a lot about this and we get a lot of questions.

I think we will have a period in a few years where we will discuss what is good and what is right.

Then the most dangerous thing of all is to introduce a standard model, that this is what everyone does and this applies to all sports.

When it comes to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, one still sticks to the basic idea.

What do the children want ?, says Björn Eriksson.

The episode in UR's series "Sports heaven and hell" is broadcast tonight Wednesday at 22.30 on SVT1 and can also be seen on UR Play.