Background Acute injuries in sports are still a problem and the aetiology of injuries in different sports, at a national level, are limited. The aim of the study was to describe the body location of acute injuries in seven sports, which has previously been identified as high-risk sports with respect to incidence of acute injury and severity of injuries, at a national level.

Methods An epidemiological study was performed using insurance data between years 2006–2013. Sports was motorcycle, handball, ice hockey, football, floorball, basketball and automobile sports. The sport federations had their mandatory accidental insurance in the insurance company. The total numbers (no) of licensed athletes in each sport was provided from the Swedish Sports Confederation. Injury incidence as well as the proportion of injuries, at each body location was calculated. Severity of an injury was described as the degree of “permanent medical impairment” (PMI).

Results Highest injury incidence was in motorcycle and handball, followed by ice hockey, football, floorball, basketball and automobile sports. Lower limb was the most injured body location in all sports except in automobile sports (head/neck), motorcycle and ice hockey (upper limb). The proportion of lower limb injuries was higher for females in all sports. PMI was generally located in the lower limb but in motorcycle and automobile sports the upper limb was more prone to PMI. The most severe injuries was in motorcycle and automobile sports and located in the head/neck region.

Conclusions Popular sports with numerous of athletes and acute injuries must be the target for prevention actions at a national level. Lower limb were the most frequent injured body locations. The most severe PMI was in the head/neck location. Further studies should focus on more detailed information on injury types, anatomical locations and injury mechanisms to understand how to prevent these injuries and achieve greater safety in sport.