Swedish women's team boycotting upcoming tournament over lack of compensation
Forty-three members of Sweden's women's national hockey team announced they're boycotting training camp and the upcoming Five Nations tournament due to a lack of financial compensation from the Swedish Ice Hockey Association.
Several players took to social media to release the coordinated statement Wednesday. The posts were accompanied by the hashtag #FörFramtiden, which translates to "for the future."
#FörFramtiden pic.twitter.com/PdnupcS0xJ
— Erika Grahm (@erikagrahm) August 14, 2019
"It cuts into our hearts that one of the first reactions for us who are awarded the honor of representing our country ... is how much minus we will go economically by accepting ..." part of the statement reads, via Google translate.
The Swedish women's team's stand is similar to the U.S. women's national team's threatened boycott ahead of the 2017 IIHF world championships over demands for fair treatment and pay.
After Sweden's sixth-place finish at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, the Swedish Olympic Committee announced they'd no longer financially support the women's national team.
The Five Nations tournament runs Aug. 20-25 in Finland, while Sweden's training camp was supposed to open Aug. 15.