At the end of August, the Norwegian boys achieved one of the greatest handball feats they have accomplished, when they beat the French star gallery with five goals in the Olympics. Norway didn’t just have white kits, it was an all-white national team that beat colorful France. When will we get the first player with a minority background in the national team? – I have thought about it a bit, not least in view of the civilian job I have, says elite league player Ola Hoftun Lillelien. More role models The Eliteserien is underway again and on Wednesday Drammen made their season debut – with an all-white crew. This despite the fact that Drammen is one of the Norwegian cities with the largest number of inhabitants with a multicultural background. A third of 105,000 people in Dram have roots in over 150 other nations. DHK player Ola Hoftun Lillelien knows what it’s like to be a minority. Two years ago, two years ago, he stood out as the first gay player in the elite series. Photo: news – Sport is perhaps the most effective integration we can have, and the ball looks the same whether you are from Eritrea or Norway, says DHK player Ola Hoftun Lillelien. Outside the courtroom, he works at the Renskaug asylum reception center in Lier, where he talks daily to people who dream of adapting to Norwegian society. Drammen player Ola Lillelien. Photo: Steinar Flesland / news – I also know myself, from when I was young, that it’s not just about becoming a better player, but you learn how to work with people, and to respect everyone on the team. Lillelien believes that both DHK and the national team would benefit from having a little more color in the team. This could have led to increased recruitment, both on the pitch and in the stands, as more people identified with the team. – We also know that physical activity is extremely important for preventing mental health. Youth crime has increased in the country. I think a good measure would be to activate them and give them something meaningful to look forward to. Because in the criminal circles, people stand with open arms and say “come to us, we need you”. Blue basket Just a few long handball throws away from Drammenshallen is what many call “The blue pearl”. Bigger ball, smaller goal. It has been crowded at the new basketball oasis since it opened before the summer. In the Drammenshallen in the background, people have seen DHK win the European Cup, and artists such as Kiss, Whitney Houston and U2. Selatel and Mojtaba thrive best on the new outdoor basketball court. Photo: Stian Haraldsen / news Mojtaba Ebrahimi and Selatel Samson stop by before they go to training with Drammen Rivers on the other side of the river. – I was 11 years old when I came to Norway, and tried both football, volleyball and actually handball. But it was basketball that captured me, says Mojtaba. Mojtaba was born in Afghanistan. Selatel in Eritrea. The 20-year-olds speak fluent Norwegian, but had no idea what handball was before they came here. – Handball isn’t exactly a sport many people in Eritrea are familiar with, is it? – No, there is mostly football, that’s what I grew up with, says Selatel. Historically speaking, Drammen is a city that likes ball. The small one (bandy), the slightly larger one (handball), and the big one (football). But there is a ball that is even bigger, at least physically, and for many young people it is also more attractive. Nothing tastes better to Selatel and Mojtaba than noiseless internet acquaintances. Photo: Stian Haraldsen / news Basketgutta, who hope to move up to the 2nd division this season, believes that it could attract more young people with a multicultural background to handball if the national teams had more diversity. – The younger ones look up to the older ones. And if there is someone with a minority background on the national team, I think it could certainly help, says Mojtaba. Closer to the local community, “Ku soo dhowow naadigan gyulna swaa,” (welcome to the handball club) is what it says in brochures the association has made in, among other languages, Somali, Arabic and Persian. Eva Skei is project manager for inclusion and integration at NHF. She says that the association has been working to reach out more widely and include for a number of years. – We are concerned about it. Very interested in it. It’s challenging, but it’s exciting. And then it is gratifying to see that there are more and more people with a minority background in the halls, says Skei. The handball association had registered 142,372 active players at the previous count. – One thing is the health effect of doing sport, but it is also important from a social point of view. For many minorities, who are new to Norway, it means a lot to belong to the local environment, and to become part of the culture – and not least to participate and feel a sense of belonging. And when the children join in the sport, we see that parents join in too, says Skei. The football difference 458 handball men have played with the flag on their chest since the first international match in 1947. None of them have been colored. Professor Åse Strandbu at the Norwegian Sports Academy. Photo: NIH This is in stark contrast to the men’s national football team, which has gradually had many players with a multicultural background. There are several reasons for this, according to Professor Åse Strandbu at the Norwegian Sports Academy. – In handball, there are probably many parents who have played themselves, and who bring their children to the hall. When it is a sport that many with a minority background have no relation to, it will require an extra effort in recruitment, says Strandbu. Football is a world sport that is played in every corner of the map. Handball is mainly a European sport, and many new compatriots have no relation whatsoever to the 20 x 40 meter indoor activity. When the football boys met Slovenia in 2018, five of the players in the starting eleven had a multicultural background. Back from left: Ole Kristian Selnæs, Haitam Aleesami, Even Hovland, Markus Henriksen, Sigurd Rosted and Joshua King. Front from left: Mohamed Elyounoussi, Tarik Elyounoussi, Omar Elabdellaoui, Stefan Johansen and Rune Almenning Jarstein. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB Although friends and older siblings mean the most, activities are often passed down. And in the Norwegian people’s soul, organized sport has a strong root. – I’ve been doing a bit of research on this lately. It has almost become part of the Norwegian parenting norm to ensure that children start playing sports. Strandbu has interviewed parents with both minority and majority backgrounds. – In “ethnically” Norwegian families, sport is a normal part of childhood, and not something that conflicts with getting it done at school. Some minority parents, on the other hand, see sports as something that can collide with investing in school. Some parents have themselves grown up at the sports facility, while some other parents may not have even grown up in Norway. – They possibly think that the sports arena is for teenage boys with talent, while “ethnically” Norwegian parents see sports more as a socializing arena, where you are active and away from your mobile phone and such. Kolstad broke the code The construction of the drab town of Kolstad gained momentum in the 1970s, and is one of Trondheim’s most densely populated areas. It is a diverse district, which has had its growing pains. In the last ten years, a large-scale modernization and renewal has been carried out there. Also on the handball court. Kolstad is built up to become Norway’s clear best team, with two league golds in a row. The red jerseys have ravaged Norway in recent years, not least at home in Kolstad Arena. Photo: Ole Martin Wold / NTB – Kolstad has been a challenging area, but now a lot is happening there. They have worked a lot on inclusion, and when you are at an elite series match there are parents with backgrounds from all over the world on duty, in the kiosk and around the stands with their little ones, says Eva Skei. Kolstad Arena has become an inclusive arena in the district – even if the players do not reflect the diversity of the local area. They have thus cracked the code off the field, but are not yet at the finish line. The Handball Association believes it is only a matter of time, and reminds that a country like France, an old colonial power, is “ahead” of Norway. Eva Skei in the Norwegian Handball Association. Photo: NHF – But Kolstad has been very good at using the elite players in the local environment, including at school. This has had a great effect, and they get to see that handball is fun. The money problem Several people news has talked to point to the level of costs in Norwegian sports. Handball does not stand out as particularly expensive, but as in a number of other sports, a lot of money is made over the course of a year. – It has become extremely expensive, regardless of what you do. And then we see that some families with roots in other countries have several children. The total sum for them will therefore be large, says Lillelien. – The first thing clubs and associations have to look at is the financial side. There are many indications that costs in Norwegian sport are increasing, which leads to increasing social differences, says Strandbu. Simen Lyse met the French boys in the Olympics. It is a bit of a bad thing to compare Norway and France, since it is an old colonial nation, which had a lot of immigration long before many other countries. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB The Handball Association is aware that money creates problems for many, and says that there are schemes that should include as many people as possible. – There are several support schemes, and the clubs can also apply for funds from various ministries and foundations, so that they can at least have a free offer for the little ones, says Eva Skei. It also happens that some clubs “close their eyes”. – The sports teams have a good overview, and often know who cannot pay activity and membership fees. If they do not pay, the children are not thrown out of the club, but the expenses are covered by a fund in the sports team. Mojtaba Ebrahimi says that they have such a scheme in Drammen Rivers as well. – We have a collaboration with the solidarity fund of McDonald’s, which helps those who struggle to pay membership fees and training fees. That has a lot to say, and I think it contributes to more people with a minority background choosing basketball. Fourteen colors (on the kits) Last week, all the clubs in the elite series were presented during the event “Avkast” in Oslo. 14 players – 14 white men. Players from all the top teams lined up for a “team picture”. Photo: Thomas Fure / NTB Ola Lillelien believes that it is not only the clubs that should take action, but also the municipalities. – In Buskerud, it is no longer free for refugees and asylum seekers to take the bus, which isolates them even more. For many people, each individual workout could make quite a big dent in the food budget. Which in turn can lead to young people having to quit, in order to work instead. – Many people have a completely different culture to the Norwegian one when it comes to contributing to the family. That’s why we see young adults starting to work, to help feed their families, says Lillelien. He scored six when Drammen won the series opener by four against Fjellhammer, a club from Lørenskog, which is the municipality with the country’s highest proportion of immigrants and children of immigrants (38.68 per cent). And the handball team? All white.
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The white sport – Buskerud
