– I might be missing some teeth to be able to smile properly. That’s what Inge Halseth says, who was beaten to death when he refereed an ice hockey match, and who knocked out the entire row of teeth in his upper jaw. The price for fixing the teeth comes to NOK 230,000. And there are insurance policies that help cover the financial part. But not everyone agrees that it covers enough. Will put pressure on the insurance companies If, as a referee, you injure yourself on the ice hockey rink, you are entitled to up to NOK 50,000 through sports insurance. This applies to dental treatment. – When you are so unlucky and lose a whole row of teeth, it doesn’t last. That’s what Jørgen Myhr Refseth, head of the judges’ committee Region Midt, says. Leader of the referee committee Region Midt, Jørgen Myhr Refseth, wants to work for comprehensive sports insurance. Photo: Hockey4you He says that the referees can choose between two different licences: Basic license and extended licence. – We chose to go for the extended licence, which is twice as expensive. – It turns out that the insurance only pays off if you lose a tooth. Now Refseth and the referee committee will work to ensure that you are completely covered on the ice, no matter what happens. – Now that we have become aware that such things can happen, we want to put some pressure on the insurance companies that have sports insurance. By comprehensive insurance, Refseth means insurance that can cover the entire amount in the event of an injury that occurs on the hockey pitch. – It will be like full comprehensive insurance. You can then make the choice before the season starts, whether you want to use a basic license which has limited coverage or an extended license which has full coverage. He believes that this should especially be an opportunity within grassroots sports. Getting help from the community When the ice hockey community heard about Halseth’s situation, a joint venture was set up to help him with the large costs. Inge Halseth has continued to smile secretly. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen Although he is missing the entire row of teeth in his upper jaw, he is a happy-go-lucky guy who meets news in Trondheim. He is clearly affected by the gesture from the environment. – I didn’t know that I had such a big role in the gang. I know people like me, but for them to do something like that for me I think it’s really great. At the time of writing, NOK 49,660 has been collected from 176 donors across the country. Halseth calls the amount enormous. – It’s from people I don’t know either, he says, a little surprised. – I am very grateful that they created a splice for me. I would never have thought that, so I was very moved. Popular in the community – Everyone knows Inge. He attends all matches and referees at all levels. He has a secret smile and is always positive. That’s what fellow judge Jacob Matheson says. – Inge needs her smile back – it’s something everyone in the hockey community really needs. Refseth thinks it is important to stand up when something like this happens. – It is very touching to see that the players are able to adjust when they see that he, who is supposed to be the pitch’s scapegoat, is only human too. Open for dialogue It is Gjensidige that insures the ice hockey association. Communication manager at Gjensidige, Line Marcelius, says dental injuries are relatively common in ice hockey, and believes that NOK 50,000 should be good enough cover for common dental injuries. – It is rare that such large sums are involved as in this case. Nevertheless, it is not possible to get a higher sum covered as of now, but she does not disregard the fact that together with the ice hockey association they can come to an agreement on comprehensive insurance. Communication manager at Gjensidige, Line Marcelius, says that the insurance amount for such damages is the same for everyone. Photo: Gjensidige – The next time we assess coverage, there is nothing to prevent us from offering higher coverage sums, but that is a bit up to the association, because then the price also increases. It is not impossible to change that. – We think it is commendable that the sports community has started a joint effort to help in such a special case of injury. That says a lot about the culture and cohesion there, she says. Continued the fight It was just before Christmas 2022 that things went wrong for Halseth. After hitting his head on the ice, he lay there for half a minute. – I felt that I had quite a headache and that I was a bit dizzy. But that didn’t stop the referee from getting back on his feet and continuing the fight. – I like to finish what I have started, he says. So Halseth finished judging the match and went home. Only when he was about to eat supper did he discover that several of the teeth in his upper jaw were loose. From before, he has had his teeth fixed, as a result of sugar damage. The teeth just got looser and looser and on Christmas Day they all fell out. Halseth has now gone ten months without teeth, which makes it difficult to chew food. – Unfortunately, there won’t be much meat. But the accident has not scared him off the ice. Quite the contrary. – I refereed two matches yesterday at the latest, so there is no problem, he smiles. It was on Christmas Day that Halseth lost his teeth. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen
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After the ice hockey referee lost all his teeth, the environment created a rift – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
