Sweden's Women's National Ice Hockey Team Officially Renamed to Promote Gender Equality

In a landmark move toward gender equality in sports, the Swedish Women's National Ice Hockey Team, formerly known as Damkronorna, has been officially renamed to Tre Kronor Dam. This change, announced by the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation, aims to standardize naming conventions and eliminate gender-specific prefixes that previously implied women’s sports were different or lesser than men’s sports.

As part of this initiative, the men’s team will now officially be called Tre Kronor Herr. Linus Hugosson, the federation's communications chief, emphasized the necessity of this shift, stating, "We felt it was time to address the subtle exclusion that women’s and girls’ hockey was seen as something different. This change marks a significant step in making sports more inclusive." The federation plans to use the new names in all formal communications while the nicknames Damkronorna and Tre Kronor will still be utilized informally.

In addition to the national team name changes, a new naming system will be implemented across youth and junior leagues, where team names will begin with a “U” followed by the highest allowable age and gender designation, such as U11F for girls and U11P for boys. This adjustment, effective immediately, is also aimed at promoting inclusivity in youth sports.

As for upcoming competitions, Tre Kronor Dam will participate in the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour in Switzerland and prep for the Olympics scheduled in Milan from February 6-22, 2026. The announcement marks a significant step towards fostering gender equality in sports communication.