– I went on a mental spree. That’s what Kasper Kvello tells news about what was supposed to be the end of a desperate attempt to achieve the football dream. A few years later, Kvello is a profile for many young people on TikTok, where he has over 114,000 followers and over 4.2 million likes on his videos. On the artificial grass track at Hasle in Oslo, a right-handed 10-year-old can shout “Kasper Kvello” when the 27-year-old appears for an interview with news. From 50 meters away, they recognize a role model. Kvello, on the other hand, recognizes the spark in the eye of what could become footballers in the future. For once, they have shared the same dream: The dream of becoming a professional footballer. Went to the basement Autumn 2022, the Storting asked the Norwegian Sports Confederation to draw up a new action plan to prevent body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in sport. It was delivered to the Ministry of Culture and Equality in December 2023. But the plan has been criticized by experts, who believe it has obvious shortcomings. Kvello is one of those who has experienced just what body dissatisfaction in sport can lead to. – I literally told my cousin that I was willing to cut off a weasel finger in order to get a professional contract somewhere, where I can make a living from being a football player, Kvello further told news. But in order to develop, he began to lose weight. In pure desperation. – That desperation to take steps made me decide to lose weight. I wanted to lose a couple of kilos to be able to perform even better on the pitch, he elaborates. But Kvello had no kilos to lose. He was already thin. He was also well trained. Nevertheless, he wanted to squeeze in the small percentages where possible. Kasper Kvello lost his joy in football. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news – There was a lot going on. This made the performance on the pitch worse. And I went even further down into the basement when things went badly. For my part, nothing good came of it at all, he underlines. Because with a constant energy deficit, he had nothing to give. Neither in training, during a match or during the week in general. Each morning consisted of checking whether the weight was lower than the day before. But when the arrow pointed in the wrong direction, the day started with a defeat. – And it was heavy, he underlines. An increasing problem among young boys Although measures have now been proposed in a new action plan to prevent eating disorders and body dissatisfaction in sports, news could tell earlier this week that experts fear the so-called “Ronaldo effect”. You can also see that more and more boys have a strained relationship with diet and body. Sunn Idrett also sees that the challenge linked to food and exercise, which has often been linked to typical endurance sports, has spread into team sports such as football and handball. – If you hadn’t actually thought of this as a big problem, said nutritionist Kristin Jonvik in Sunn Idrett to news, pointing out that a locker room environment can create an undesirable culture where looking good is just as important as performing on the field. Kristin Jonvik, nutritionist at Sunn Idrett. Photo: Kristin Lundanes Jonvik Kvello gives daily advice to his followers on social media, both when it comes to exercise and diet. He also receives inquiries from young people who have felt the same feelings as he did. – There are 14-15-year-old boys who want to lose weight. Desire to lose fat. It’s not just the messages themselves, but the speech. There are so many. It is so often, Kvello points out. Wanting to look a certain way Kvello sees, like Healthy Sport, a frightening trend that is spreading in society. He himself was just as concerned with how he looked as how he performed on the pitch. Kasper Kvello sees a frightening trend developing in society. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news – I had spent a lot of time building a lot of muscle in my upper body, among other things because I wanted to look a certain way. But it is not quite consistent with having to perform as a football player, he says. Strength training therefore had to be de-prioritised. Something that sat deep inside. It still took a while before he gave up as a football player. But after driving both head and body to madness over a long period, the psychological breakdown came. For Kasper Kvello, the body focus in football took over. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news – It was just too much, he says. Kvello therefore sought help from a psychologist. He also chose to be open with family and friends. Something that was decisive for who he is today: – I think basically the most important thing was to open up about how strained my relationship with food and weight was, says Kvello, who encourages young people to be more in tune. Kvello, best known as the “Strength Coach”, concludes: – I mainly use things I have learned from my education. Because it is important that all the advice I give is professional and good. But it’s clear, there are probably many who have recognized themselves in my story. I have received a lot of feedback on that as well.
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– Was willing to cut off my finger – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
