A riksidrottsgymnasium (RIG; lit. 'national sports' secondary school') is part of the Swedish school system as a gymnasium accepting pupils from the whole country focussing on specific sports. Schools shall organise school, living and sports specialisation for the pupils enrolled.. Riksidrottsgymnasium organisers have to be accepted by the national governing body of the sport and the National Agency for Education.
For the pupils, approximately 30 percent of the gymnasieskola credits are spent on the sport. As of 2025, 26 federations have the possibility to organise riksidrottsgymnisia.
History
The first riksidrottsgymnasium started on try in 1972 in Malmö and Järpen. In the beginning, the places were limited, but in 1994 other schools had the possibilities to offer gymnasieskola credits in sports specialisation outside the riksidrottsgymnasium system. The system again changed in 2011 when a parallell system, the nationell idrottsutbildning was introduced for more local intake of pupils.
In 2019, it was highlighted a problem of who shall pay for expensive equipment – as pupils shall not pay for things in school.
In the summer of 2020, the riksidrottsgymnasium for waterskiing and wakeboarding at Brinellgymnasiet in Fagersta was closed after 20 years of education after reports on dispiraties.
Impact
A 2010 study from Gothenburg University study showed that 75 percent of the pupils reached a national-team level. According to a study from Karlstad University, less than a half of Sweden's international medalists have not gone to a riksidrottsgymansium. However, importance varies in between sports – seven out nine sailors representing Sweden at the 2020 Summer Olympics had went to riksidrottsgymnasia.
Riksidrottsgymnasia
References
- ^ Perry, Magnus; Andersson, Malin, "En fördjupningsstudie av elevenkäten Specialidrott" (PDF), Riksidrottsförbundet
- ^ "Idrottsutbildning - Utbildningsguiden", Skolverket
- "Specialidrottsförbund med Riksidrottsgymnasium 2022/23–2024/25" (PDF), Riksidrottsförbundet
- "Nya perspektiv på riksidrottsgymnasierna - Vad flickor och pojkar värdesätter i RIG-verksamheten" (PDF), Riksidrottsförbundet
- TT (10 March 2019). "Elitidrott i gymnasieskolan krockar med lagen".
- TT (7 June 2021), "Mångåriga elevkränkningar stoppades inte", Svenska Dagbladet
- Tjernberg, Urban (10 October 2010), "Lönsam elitsatsning på riksidrottsgymnasier", Svenska Dagbladet
- Pihlblad, Johan (19 September 2022), Majoriteten av idrottseliten gick inte idrottsgymnasium
- ^ "Elitsegling och studier på Seglargymnasierna", Svenska Seglarförbundet
- ^ "Riksrekryterande idrottsutbildningar 2022" (PDF), Skolverket
- ^ "RIG-skolor", Svenska Skidförbundet
- ^ "Gymnasiestudier & friidrottssatsning - Friidrottsförbundet", Svenska Friidrottsförbundet
- "Riksrekryterande idrottsutbildningar 2024" (PDF), Skolverket
- ^ "Riksidrottsgymnasium", Svensk Simidrott