The Swedish politician and Minister for European Union Affairs, Birgitta Ohlsson and the Swedish handball player and Team Captain Tobias Karlsson, have been appointed official ambassadors for EuroGames Stockholm 2015. Several ambassadors within sports, culture and politics will be announced before the event takes place on August 5th to August 9th 2015.

- Politics and sport are intertwined. We saw the horrific abuses against homosexuals taking place in a militarily aggressive Russia during the Winter Olympics. Historically, also Germany in 1936, the Soviet Union in 1980, and China in 2008, used the sheen of the Olympics as a display window for dictatorship. Therefore, I am proud that many courageous advocates for human rights come from the sports world. It is important for me to support these forces, says Birgitta Ohlsson, Minister for European Union Affairs.

- I’m very happy and proud to have the opportunity to become an ambassador for something as good as EuroGames Stockholm. It is a given in my world that everyone should be able to live on equal terms, both within and outside of sports, says Tobias Karlsson, Swedish handball player.

- Birgitta Ohlsson is a strong role model in politics, both in Sweden and internationally, with a genuine commitment to human rights. Tobias Karlsson has both as a Team Captain and together with the National Swedish Handball Team continually fought for equality within sport and ones right to practice their sport regardless of sexuality or gender. Important and admirable commitment that now deepens even more when Birgitta and Tobias becomes ambassadors for EuroGames Stockholm 2015, says Jakob Jansson, EuroGames Stockholm President.

As an Ambassador for EuroGames Stockholm you are standing behind EGS’s values of human equality regardless of gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation in sports, culture and politics. You get the chance to raise awareness of these questions and be involved in the planning and implementation of one of the biggest events in Stockholm by 2015.

Information about the ambassadors:

Birgitta Ohlsson is Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs. She has a longstanding commitment to LGBTQ issues and human rights in Sweden and globally. She has marched in pride parades, many of them threatened, all over Europe, and was named “hetero of the year” by Sweden’s largest LGBTQ website and publisher, QX.

The Handball player and Team Captain Tobias Karlsson have together with the Swedish National Handball Team and the Swedish Handball Federation continuously encouraged the right to practice sport regardless of sexuality, gender or gender expression. Partly by discussing the issue in media, different awareness projects and not the least by competing against the largest LGBTQ-association in Sweden, Stockholm Snipers IF.

Information about EuroGames Stockholm 2015:  
EuroGames is among the world's largest LGBTQ-events, founded by the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) in 1992 to combat discrimination and promote the right to engage in sport, politics and culture - regardless of sexual orientation, gender, religion, age, ethnic origin, political beliefs, or athletic or artistic ability. EuroGames Stockholm is a sports, cultural and political event which will take place between the 5th and 9th of August 2015 and is expected to attract over 5.000 participants and more than 250.000 visitors. EuroGames is held about three times per decade. Previous host cities include Barcelona, Paris, Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Registration for EuroGames Stockholm 2015 is now open at the following link: http://eurogamesstockholm.com/registration

Pictures could be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cjpparobbgmjrp2/AABfmigrKwQjhaI3bzYEPf_aa?dl=0

For more information, pictures or interviews please contact:
Linnea Hincks, Press Secretary to Birgitta Ohlsson
linnea.hincks@gov.se eller + 46 (0) 70 308 44 06

Niklas Torsell, Press Director for EuroGames Stockholm 2015
niklas@eurogamesstockholm.com or +46 (0) 70 897 43 26

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[Press Release September 10th 2014]