Norwegian sport has received NOK 30 million this year to get more immigrants involved in sport. The activities are to be more or less free of charge. The millions go to the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports from the Ministry of Culture and Equality, and are distributed from there to sports clubs across most of the country. That is to say, the funds go particularly to sports clubs in large cities with high concentrations of immigrants and families with limited ability to pay.
Most Goes to the Cities
The millions intended to bring immigrants into sport are distributed by local sports councils and regional sports federations. According to the government grants portal, the distribution is as follows:
The following local sports councils announce and distribute funds to sports clubs in their municipalities: Oslo, Drammen, Fredrikstad, Sarpsborg, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Bergen, Trondheim, Tromsø, Bodø, Stavanger, Arendal, Gjøvik, Ålesund and Sandnes.
Viken regional sports federation announces and distributes funds to sports clubs in the following municipalities in the county: Lillestrøm, Moss, Indre Østfold, Ullensaker, Bærum, Lørenskog, Asker, Nordre Follo, Halden and Ringerike.
Vestfold and Telemark regional sports federation announces and distributes funds to sports clubs in the following municipalities in the county: Sandefjord, Skien, Larvik, Tønsberg and Porsgrunn.
Free or Cheap for Immigrants
The grant is to be used for measures aimed at children (6–12 years) and young people (13–19 years) who face financial and/or cultural barriers to participation in sport, the overview further states.
“There is particular emphasis on girls with minority backgrounds and on children and young people from families with limited ability to pay. Measures to increase the proportion of young people and parents or guardians without previous experience of Norwegian sporting culture who become involved in their children’s everyday sporting activities are also eligible for grants.”
And further:
“Measures to increase the participation and involvement of minority parents in sports clubs are also eligible for grants. – be free of charge or have a low participation fee.”
The targets to be achieved include an “increasing number of members and/or participants from the target groups in the sports club, and a stable or declining level of costs for members and/or participants”.
Those who distribute the money must also ensure that all relevant sports clubs are aware of the scheme, so that immigrants are brought into Norwegian sport throughout the country. And the administrative unit (presumably the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports and its subdivisions) is to work systematically to increase sports clubs’ competence in inclusion.
Immigrants are frequent users of sports halls throughout the country for purposes other than sport. Here, an Eid celebration in July 2026, with politicians from both the Conservative Party and the Labour Party represented. Photo: Social media.
