The Båstad riots () is the name given to the riots that took place during a

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...

tennis match between

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

on 3 May 1968 in

Båstad Båstad () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Båstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden, with approximately 5,000 permanent residents. It is however one of Sweden's most typical summer resorts. The population is presumably mor ...

, Sweden. Demonstrators were protesting the participation of the two

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

countries,

and South Africa, in the international tennis competition. The countries were barred from other international sporting events. It became the most violent confrontation between the

Swedish police The Swedish Police Authority () is the national police, police force (''Polisen'') of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under Municipalities of Sweden, local ...

and demonstrators during the 1960s. It was followed by a dialogue between the

Swedish government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden () is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and their cabinet ministers (). The Government is responsible for its actions ...

and the demonstrators to curb the escalation of violence. The match later was played in secrecy, and Sweden won 4-1.

References

1968 Davis Cup 1968 riots Riots and civil disorder in Sweden Sports riots Politics and sports Sport in Rhodesia May 1968 in Sweden Foreign relations of Rhodesia 1968 in Swedish tennis Tennis controversies 20th century in Kristianstad County Båstad Municipality {{Rhodesia-stub