A few brave rays of sunlight find their way into Sofiatornet’s historic premises in Stockholm. Here, in one of Stockholm’s stadium’s corner towers, SOK has its office – and Fredrik Joulamo now works here.
He formally began his role as the new sporting director of the SOK at the end of March. But it is only now, after this summer’s Olympics, that he has really taken up his mission. This after SOK’s team manager Peter Reinebo retired after the games in Paris.
– It has been very much new and an incredible amount to get used to. It has been a lot about getting to know people within the organization, he says.
Joulamo comes from the world of basketball. Most recently, he had the role of general secretary of the Swedish Basketball Association, but before that he has also been national team manager, professional coach and player in the sport.
“Basketball has been a common thread in my life,” says Fredrik Joulamo. Photo: Johanna Lundberg/Bildbyrån
When the chance arose to work within SOK, however, he felt it was time to “test his wings in a different sporting context”.
– It was obvious to me actually. There were never any considerations directly, it was just given and obvious. A challenge, environment and context that cannot be resisted.
What made you want to try something else?
– I felt a little bit that I have done most in basketball. Certainly not everything, but I have done a lot on a lot of different levels, he says and continues:
– I have looked a little towards other sports and thought that it is natural to look over “the other side of the fence”.
Fakta. SOK’s new sports director Fredrik Joulamo
Age: 50 years.
Professional career: Secretary General (2020–2024) and national team manager (2018–2020) for the Swedish Basketball Association. Has also, among other things, been the assistant national team captain for the men’s national basketball team and the national team captain for various youth national basketball teams.
Background: Has a past in UN peacekeeping forces, is a trained lawyer and has worked as a shop owner in sports retail.
Source: TT and SOK.
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As sports director leads Fredrik Joulamo primarily the sporting activities within the SOK, while at the same time he is squad leader for Sweden during the Olympics – a so-called “Chef de Mission”. He is now taking over that role from Peter Reinebo, who worked within SOK for several years.
At the same time, Åsa Edlund Jönsson also took office as the new general secretary of SOK two years ago. And last autumn, Johanna Hemming was recruited as the new marketing and communications manager.
Joulamo describes SOK as an “organisation undergoing change”.
– I think that the recruitment of Åsa (Edlund Jönsson), who comes from sports journalism, and me, who does not have the traditional Olympic background, are signals that the SOK is an organization that is looking for new ways.
Åsa Edlund Jönsson was previously head of SVT Sport, but is now secretary general of SOK since two years ago. Photo: Johanna Säll/Bildbyrån
Summer Olympics in Paris became Fredrik Joulamo’s first Olympic Games on site. New to the job, he entered with the conditions to see and learn, next to Peter Reinebo.
– It was a completely fantastic experience for me. Just to have such a free role as I had, to be able to move between the different arenas and to see as many sports as I could, it was fantastic.
Sweden had one of its best Summer Olympics in a long time, with eleven medals collected.
At the same time, a storm of criticism blew over the SOC from Swedish athletes who were not selected for the Olympics. Several athletes, including the sailor Emil Bengtson and the majority of track and field athletes, claimed that they had met the criteria that applied to qualify for the Swedish Olympic squad, while the SOK said that this was not the case.
The dispute ended a legal case that went all the way to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Cas, where SOK was acquitted.
– It was about the fact that it was considered that the qualification rules of the international associations should apply above ours. But quite immediately Cas announced that this was not the case.
– We are also convinced, and know, that a national Olympic committee has the right to have rules that are stricter than others.
During Fredrik Joulamo’s first Olympics as sports director, he and the SOK received a lot of criticism from Swedish athletes who were not selected for Paris. Photo: Roger Turesson
That the case was taken all the way to Cas describes Fredrik Joulamo as “a tragedy”.
– Although we think we have communicated exactly what applies and think we have had a very good dialogue with, in this case mainly the athletics association, it is clear that those who are most important, the active ones, have not been reached by the information.
– There we, and perhaps also the athletics association in this case, have broken down.
He believes that SOK must get better at involving the active in the discussions about what applies.
– We don’t just want to become this formal organization that points to the annual meeting decisions. There are such, but we have to be even sharper that the active people out there, who are most important, also understand it.
– Then there will still be people who will be very disappointed, that is our role. We fulfill many dreams, but we also have to make many tough decisions. We have a mission to attend to.
“It became very unpleasant at times,” says Fredrik Joulamo, referring to the criticism directed at the SOK’s staff via social media, after the conflict with the Swedish athletes who were not selected for the Olympics. Photo: Roger Turesson
After the summer Olympics has SOK sat down and talked with, among others, the athletics association about what happened, he says.
– We have had a dialogue about how to communicate going forward and how to get better at this together. It is our members who vote and there will be those who think that there should not be national, stricter criteria. But if you are part of a non-profit association, which SOK is, you also have to relate to that.
Fredrik Joulamo was thrown directly into the hot air in his new role when the storm of criticism was at its worst. He says that he was then able to relieve the other managers by, among other things, digging into material and extracting facts – something that was instructive.
– In that way, it was a good position. I learned pretty quickly how our selection processes look and work. But it’s clear that it was a wake-up call in some way, “is this how it’s supposed to be?” as well as.
“You want to know what applies in a clearer way and we will deliver that,” says Fredrik Joulamo, referring to the requirements that SOK has when it comes to Olympic selections. Photo: Roger Turesson
Right after the Olympics ended Joulamo describes how the IOC shifted its focus to the next Olympic Games, which today are 462 days away: the Milan/Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
– There we have a capacity to win 20 medals. We are down to the details now, such as accommodation, food… We are already working on that, while also talking about the 2028 Olympics (in Los Angeles).
– It is a fantastic organization in that way. It never ends, there is always a new Olympics.
If this summer’s Olympics in Paris were a bit more “see and learn” for you, the 2026 Olympics will be a bit sharper. How will it be?
– I am very much looking forward to it. It will be incredibly exciting, it is very challenging but also fun and stimulating to be involved in leading this project forward.
The goal for the 2026 Olympics? To take more medals than in Beijing 2022.
– Hopefully it will be a very successful Olympics. We have high goals. We hope to have the capacity to beat the Games in Beijing, where there were 18 medals.
