– It is not that Berit Kjøll has done anything wrong. But Zaineb Al-Samarai is a strong candidate for us, says Olav Skrudland, president of the billiards association. He is not alone in thinking so. – We have nominated Zaineb for one reason: that we want a change, and we are ready for that, says the president of the shooting association, Bjørn Harald Vik. In June, a new sports president will be elected. There may be a move towards the sitting president being replaced, according to a survey carried out by news. There are three known candidates for the position: Berit Kjøll, Zaineb Al-Samarai and Åsne Havnelid. news’s count shows that there is currently an overwhelming majority who want Zaineb Al-Samarai. These are the presidential candidates Berit Kjøll (67): Has been sports president for four years. Previously, she was managing director of both Flytoget, Tusenfryd and Steen & Strøm and director of Huwaei Norge. Has also been chairman of the board of the Tourist Association in addition to board positions in, among others, DNB, SAS, Hurtigruten and Oslo University Hospital. Zaineb Al-Samarai (35): Came to Norway as a refugee from Iraq. She has been a deputy representative in the Storting and sat on the city council in Oslo for the Labor Party. Works on a daily basis with communications and has thus sat for four years on the sports board. Has been manager of Holmlia sports club and sat on the board of Vålerenga Football. Åsne Havnelid (61): Havnelid’s last job was as managing director of Norsk Tipping. She resigned there in 2022. Previously, she was both secretary general of the Norwegian Red Cross, assistant top sports manager and director of the skiing WC in Oslo in 2011. She has been rector of the Norwegian Sports Academy and has sat on the board of news and Vinmonopolet. – Have not managed to create commitment At the sports council there are a total of 164 people who will vote for a sports president. 75 of these are from special associations, 75 are from sports circles, while the last 14 are the sports board and athlete representatives. At least 83 votes are therefore required to be sure of winning the election. The incumbent president currently has only four votes. SPORTS CANDIDATES SUPPORT: If the Viken sports circle (which has entered both Al-Samarai and Havnelid) votes for Al-Samarai in the election, she already has the support of 54 votes. If Viken votes for Havnelid, Havnelid has 14 votes, while Al-Samarai has 41. Berit Kjøll has the support of two special associations and thus has four votes as of now. Graphics: Jørgen Terland Gundersen / news – The fact that she has not been able to get more support than these figures show, even without any pure scandals, is a rather crushing judgment on her time as sports president, says news’s sports commentator, Jan Petter Saltvedt. He believes that Kjøll has not been good enough to bring sports together and gain enough political influence in important matters. Olympics: Berit Kjøll has been present at two pandemic Olympics in his time as president. The pandemic is just one of the challenges Norwegian sport has faced in the last four years. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB – I don’t think Kjøll has understood the organization well enough, she has not been able to create commitment at the grassroots to the extent she should and she has also not gained traction in very important matters for a sport in accepted crisis. The handball president does not agree with that analysis. – She has had a pandemic for three years and war for a year. She has solved those challenges very well together with the political environment in Norway, says president of the Norwegian Handball Association, Kåre Geir Lio, about why he wants Berit Kjøll to be re-elected as sports president. He further explains: HANDBALL PRESIDENT: Kåre Geir Lio. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB – She has been very good at creating good conditions in sport in difficult times. Read: Support during the pandemic, electricity support and other things. She has been very good at showing that sport is for those who need it most. She has created a new parastrategy together with hers. Not least we must remember that she has changed management in NIF, it is demanding. Reorganization in NIF is demanding. And she has done all this in a very nice way. Not least, she has been good internationally at being clear on behalf of Norwegian sport, says Lio. It was the handball association that was at the forefront of the effort to get Berit Kjøll elected as president in 2019. Now it is one of two special associations that has promoted her candidacy for re-election. – We need stable management. Not in 62 years, apart from Bangstad who got 11 years from 1973 to 1984, have we managed to elect a leader twice. I think we should practice that. I think Norwegian sports need to practice being good to the leader they choose. Without fuss and life and big discussions internally, and it has been very nice during the period we have been through, says Lio. Neither Berit Kjøll nor Zaineb Al-Samarai wanted to be interviewed for this case. news’s survey of presidential candidates Wants re-election for Berit Kjøll: Norwegian Handball Association (3 votes) Norwegian Water Ski and Wakeboard Association (1 vote) Wants/has entered Zaineb Al-Samarai as a candidate: Norwegian Shooting Association (2 votes) Norwegian Swimming Association (2 votes) Norwegian Motorsport Association (1 vote) Norwegian Air Sports Association (1 vote) Norwegian Ice Hockey Association (1 vote) Norwegian Bowling Association (1 vote) Norwegian Board Association (1 vote) Norwegian Billiards Association (1 vote) Norwegian Fencing Association (1 vote) Viken sports circle (13 votes) Inlandet sports circle (8 votes) Troms and Finnmark sports circle (7 votes) Trøndelag sports circle (7 votes) Oslo sports circle (5 votes) Møre and Romsdal sports circle (4 votes) Wants/has entered Åsne Havnelid as a candidate: Norwegian Weightlifting Association (1 vote) Viken sports circle (13 votes) Have submitted a candidate, but do not want to say who: Norwegian Powerlifting Association Waiting/haven’t decided: Norwegian Football Association (4 votes) Norwegian Ski Association ( 3 votes) Norwegian Athletics Association (3 votes) Norwegian Corporate Sports Association (3 votes) Norwegian Martial Arts Association (2 votes) Norwegian Gymnastics and Gymnastics Association (2 votes) Norwegian Cycling Association (2 votes) Norwegian Bandy Association (2 votes) Norwegian Orienteering Association (2 votes) Norwegian Equestrian Association (2 votes) Norwegian Volleyball Association (2 votes) Norwegian Climbing Association (1 vote) Norwegian Golf Association (1 vote) Norwegian Tennis Association (1 vote) Norwegian Basketball Association (1 vote) Norwegian Biathlon Association (1 vote) Norwegian Triathlon Association (1 vote) Norwegian Diving Association (1 vote) Norwegian Multi-Sports Association (1 vote) Norwegian Badminton Association (1 vote) Norwegian Padel Association (1 vote) Norwegian Dance Association (1 vote) Norwegian Table Tennis Association (1 vote) Norwegian Sailing Association (1 vote) Norwegian Skating Association (1 vote) Norwegian Archery Association (1 vote) Norwegian Student Sports Association (1 vote) Norwegian Boxing Association (1 vote) Norwegian Wrestling Association (1 vote) Norwegian Judo Association (1 vote) Norwegian Dog Grooming Association d (1 vote) Norwegian Kickboxing Association (1 vote) Norwegian Rowing Association (1 vote) Norwegian Functional Fitness Association (1 vote) and Norwegian Squash Association (1 vote) Norwegian Curling Association (1 vote) Norwegian Casting Association (1 vote) Norwegian Softball and Baseball Association ( 1 vote) Norwegian Sled, Bobsleigh, and Skeleton Association (1 vote) Vestlandet sports circle (8 votes) Agder sports circle (7 votes) Vestfold and Telemark sports circle (7 votes) Rogaland sports circle (5 votes) Nordland sports circle (4 votes) Have not black: Norwegian American Sports Association Norwegian Cricket Association Norwegian Rugby Association – Rarely do we experience such great commitment It is important to emphasize that the majority in Norwegian sports have not yet decided who they want as sports president. As many as 39 special confederations and five sports circles have not yet decided/are awaiting the selection committee’s recommendation. Several of those who have registered candidates also state that they currently do not know who they will actually vote for in the election. The election committee informs news that they are now working to find what they believe is the best candidate. They do not want to comment on the process until they come up with their recommendations in a few months. SUPPORT: Zaineb Al-Samarai currently has the most support of the three presidential candidates for the Norwegian Sports Confederation. Photo: Arbeiderpartiet As news wrote a little while ago, more than half of the sports circles have nominated Al-Samarai for the presidency. In addition, nine of the 55 special associations confirm that they have done the same. – Zaineb (Al-Samarai) has an impressive CV with relevant education and work experience in communications, government work and politics – three key qualifications in the role of sports president. We also experience Zaineb as a good relationship builder, says vice-president of the Brettforbundet, Kjetil Ostling. Several special associations use similar words about Al-Samarai: – She is well acquainted with all levels of the sport, and in our eyes she recognizes the fact that the organization must be built from the bottom up, writes president of the motorsport association, Emilie Westbye, in an email to news. Al-Samari was elected to the sports board at the same time as Berit Kjøll was elected president. In the board, all members are responsible for following up on some special associations each. The 35-year-old has, among other things, followed up the Billiards Association. They are very impressed with the work she has done. – It is rare that we experience such great commitment from the top. She has stood up, taken responsibility and taken good care of us during this period. It says something about her, she sees everyone and sees that everyone is equally valuable. That is something we want in a president, says Olav Skrudland in the billiards association. PRESIDENT: Berit Kjøll stretches his hands in the air and celebrates after being elected as sports president in 2019. On the left is Sven Mollekleiv, who lost the election by one vote. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB – Important to get Åsne Havnelid into the system There is only one special association that has put forward the candidacy of the third candidate, Åsne Havnelid. The association is the weightlifting association. – She is unifying, skilled and has had a number of years in Norsk Tipping as well, says president Stian Grimseth. At the same time, the Weightlifting Association is clear that they have, for the time being, wanted to put forward a good candidate for the election committee in NIF. They have not decided who they will actually vote for. – It was important to get a candidate like Åsne Havnelid into the system. Then I register that Zaineb (Al-Samarai) and Berit (Kjøll) are also running, it’s just great. We just have to trust that the selection committee does a good job with these candidates. They must assess what Norwegian sport needs in the future. They will have that as their main focus, I am sure of that, says Grimseth. CANDIDATES: Berit Kjøll and Åsne Havnelid, pictured here in 2016 when they were respectively chairman of the board of DNT and secretary general of the Red Cross. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB Havnelid talks about volunteering, the framework conditions of sport and involving children and young people as her most important issues if she is elected. – I believe that I have managerial experience and a background that is relevant. I know sports well, and have been part of sports all my life. I am very fond of sport and have had many different roles, both as a player, coach, volunteer and also employed. Now I have told the selection committee and the sport that I now have an availability and am very motivated. It is also up to the election committee and the sports democracy to decide who they want, says Havnelid. The election is made at the Sports Council in Bergen on 4 June. Do you have any tips on the presidential election or sports policy?
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– Crushing verdict on her time as president – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
