– I have to say that they do not have Vibecke Sørensen, 1st vice-president, on their appointment – it is frightening. It scared me a little that she wasn’t on the list of what we were presented with. This is what Berit Kjøll tells news shortly after she received the minority in the election committee’s recommendation before the upcoming presidential election. Kjøll received three of the ten members’ votes, while the large majority want Zaineb Al-Samarai as the new sports president. The battle for office will only be decided at the sports council in Bergen at the beginning of June. – A very clear signal Al-Samarai has, after several news surveys earlier this year, received the stamp of favorite in the presidential race. news’s sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt agrees that the position in the presidency is not surprising – but highlights the Sørensen wrecking as a sign of the desire for change. Photo: Alem Zebic – It is a very clear signal that the majority want Kjøll out, and her most loyal supporter with her. The fact that Sørensen was unanimously rejected in the setting is the clearest signal of dissatisfaction, says news’s sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt. Sørensen was unanimously rejected by the election committee. Kjøll understands little of that. – Vibeke is an incredibly capable, a furiously capable woman, who represents so much professional knowledge within the health sector in particular, she says. news has tried to get in touch with Sørensen, without success. Kjøll ready for battle Sørensen, a former figure skater who participated in both the NM and EC, was elected to the sports board in 2015. Four years later, at the next election, she was elected as 1st sports president. Since then she has been Kjøll’s right hand. Recently, there has been a storm around Kjøll, but the sitting president does not think the Sørensen wreck is about weakened trust. – I think this is about putting together a team, and you have many considerations to take into account. That is probably also the basis here. But I really have to say that by not nominating Vibecke Sørensen, who has also raised his hand and we have worked extremely hard together in the presidency and the board, is a loss for Norwegian sport. NOW THE BATTLE STARTS: There is a little more than one month left until the presidential election is decided. Berit Kjøll (with his back) and Zaineb Al-Samarai are fighting for office. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Terje Roel, chairman of the election committee, does not want to comment on those who have not been included in the nomination. But when asked why Sørensen was wrecked, he says: – I don’t want to say anything about that. We have set our sights on a complementary board. That has been our focus and we believe that we have put together a board that complements each other to a very large extent and in a good way. But even if Sørensen is wrecked: Kjøll promises to fight to get four more years as the supreme leader of Norwegian sports. – I have the time, desire, strength and energy to go for a new term. I will do that. Based on the fact that it is a split setting, it is a good starting point. Big favorite A survey carried out by news in January showed that over half of the sports circles in Norway, at that time, wanted Al-Samarai as sports president. The favorite stamp did not decrease after Wednesday’s setting. – It feels very big. I am very grateful for the trust the election committee has shown me, says Al-Samarai to news after the appointment. And that the setting is shared, she says, is a good thing. – We are a democratic organisation, and the fact that there are shared opinions is a good thing, she says. The 35-year-old is a former parliamentary representative and now works as a communications expert. She also has experience as a manager in Holmlia sports club and on the board of Vålerenga Football. Since 2019, she has been a board member of the Swedish Sports Confederation. news’s sports commentator, Jan Petter Saltvedt, has been clear that Al-Samarai is the big favorite in the presidential race. – I am not giving Kjøll much of a chance now, but no one had given Kjøll any chances a month before the last election either, he says. THE CANDIDATES: Zaineb Al-Samarai and sitting sports president Berit Kjøll. Photo: NTB Kjøll has, however, won as an “underdog” in the past. When she was elected sports president in 2019, she beat the election committee’s candidate Sven Mollekleiv by a scant two votes. It has stormed against the current president in recent months. Especially after the much-discussed notification case, which is now – after much back and forth and ever-growing bills – closed. In April, news was able to report that the sports president told a lie during an interview, and later she referred to it as “a bad joke”. The notice, which was delivered in December last year and which, according to their own lawyer, was based on a misunderstanding, cost Norwegian sports well over one and a half million Norwegian kroner. The case was closed on 31 March and on 26 April the sports association apologized to the parties involved. Marco Elsafadi, who was re-notified in the case, was also nominated for re-election by the committee on Wednesday. Crisis survey An news survey from earlier this year showed a crisis survey for the sitting president. At the time, she only had four votes from the various special confederations in Norwegian sports. The overwhelming majority then wanted Al-Samarai. There are a total of 164 people who will vote for a sports president. 75 of them represent the special associations, 75 from the sports circles and 14 from the sports board and athlete representatives. At least 83 votes are required to win the election, which will be held at the sports council in just over a month.
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– It’s terrifying – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
