Sports
The congress venue in Leksand is situated beside a comparatively large and well equipped sports area. Outdoor there are three grass football fields and one baseball field nearby, which are free to use when they are not booked by other groups. An indoor sports hall, gym and indoor swimming pool are available just beside the congress venue, prices for congress participants are still to be decided.
Leksandshallen
Just beside the congress venue, there is a sport centre with swimming baths. There you can find a gym, a relaxation area and a swimming pool with a water slide.
Icehockey
Modern ice hockey may or may not have been born in Montreal in 1875. It involves two skating teams of 6 in swift movement on an ice rink, trying to shove a rubber disc into the opponents goal by means of sticks. The countries in the world where ice hockey is most popular include Canada, Finland, Czechia and Sweden. Sweden has had 2 Olympic gold medals and 8 World Championship gold medals since 1920.
Leksands IF is a prominent Swedish hockey team, the club was founded in 1919 and started playing ice hockey in 1938. It has won the national championship 4 times and has provided the north American professional hockey leagues with many strong players throughout the years. Ice hockey is extremely important in Leksand, the local team is the pride of Leksand and whenever there is an important match in town, other aspects of life come to a temporary halt.
Since 34 years Leksands IF organises a hockey school for kids every summer. If you happen to have a child in the 10-15 years age who is already familiar with ice hockey, it is possible to join the summer ice hockey school which is organised just beside the congress venue, by the famous team Leksand IF. If not, you can at least have a look free of charge at the hockey kids practising in the new, huge, arena, Ejedals arena, beside the congress venue.
Football
Football is the sport in Sweden with the highest number of active players, but in Leksand icehockey has always been much more popular, so the football team in Leksand is far down in the swedish league system.
There are three football fields close to the congress venue and if you like you can play a game or two there.
Golf
Leksand has a nice 18-holes golf course. The green fee is about 30 euro, maybe some special arrangement will be made for the congress participants. There are many other golf courses in the Siljan area:
Baseball
Baseball is a rather small sport in sweden, but Leksand has a strong team which has become swedish champion twenty time since the league started in 1963. There is a nice baseball court near the go venue. The baseball club holds a course for 7-12 year olds in the mornings. If there is interest, the baseball club might arrange something more specifically for us as well. More information later.
Tennis
There are two outdoor tennis courts nearby which are free of charge. There are also two indoor tennis courts which can be booked at the congress info desk at a reduced price (about 10 euro per hour).
Orienteering
Orienteering is a running sport where the goal is to find a given set of control points as quickly as possible, using a map and a compass. It usually takes place in a wooded terrain, but orienteering in mountains and even in urban areas is also common.
The biggest orienteering festival in the world, O-Ringen, takes this year place in Sälen, only 150 km from Leksand, 21-25 July. With orienteering in mountains above the treeline, a chairlift to the start and luxurious accommodation, the O-Ringen 2008 will be a unique experience for participants and guests.
Curling
Beside Ejedals arena, close to the congress site, there is a curling centre.