Just before Christmas 2025, the sports arena at Lade in Trondheim were filled with children’s laughter and activity as we hosted this year’s Idrettsfest. For the fourth year in a row, children and young people were invited to a free day of sports with the aim of lowering the barriers to participation in organized sports. This year’s edition was the largest to date.
Approximately 600 children visited the venue throughout the day, participating in a wide range of sports and meeting some of Norway’s leading sports stars, including Birgit Skarstein and Casper Ruud. The day was marked by a sense of achievement, community, and play in a safe and welcoming environment.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to see so many children being active. For some, this is the very first time they’ve ever been in a sports hall. And that is exactly what the Sports Festival is about: giving children — who traditionally face higher barriers to participation — a first encounter with sporting joy, community, and a sense of achievement,” says Gustav Magnar Witzøe, Chair and founder of W Initiative.
From a tennis event to a sports festival
What began as a tennis event with the foundation’s global ambassador, Casper Ruud, in 2021 has evolved into a large-scale sports festival with more activities and room for even more children. This year, participants were able to try sports such as tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, football, gymnastics, parkour, e-sports, and para sports including blind shooting and wheelchair basketball.
Local coaches, young volunteers, members of the foundation’s board, and some of Norway’s top athletes took part at the different activities. As in previous years, tennis player Casper Ruud was present, joined by Paralympic rowing champion Birgit Skarstein and footballers Mushaga Bakenga and Per Ciljan Skjelbred.
– Having these profiles in the hall together with the children means an incredible amount. For many, they are role models — but for others, who may not know who they are, they are first and foremost fellow human beings who meet the children at their level,” says Eirik Bøe Sletten, CEO of W Initiative.
– I’ve now been part of this event for four years, and I have to say it’s a very special experience. I meet children everywhere in my daily life, but here I meet young people who might never have experienced this kind of sporting community if it weren’t for this festival. That really makes an impression, says Casper Ruud.
“When we see the entire arena vibrating with joy and activity, we know why we do this.”
— W Initiative
Inclusion
A key goal of the sports festival is to reach children who do not already participate in organized sports — whether due to financial, social, or other reasons. This is why inclusion and para sports have been a clear focus for the event.
Paralympic champion Birgit Skarstein has played a central role in developing the para sport stations.
– Children, and especially children with disabilities, need places like this. Here they can experience community, joy, and a sense of achievement, and see that sports are for them too. It was incredibly meaningful to be part of this, says Skarstein.
More than just one day
The sports festival is one of several initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for children and young people. In 2022, W Initiative established a local sports fund, through which sports clubs and teams in Trøndelag can apply for support for registration fees and equipment.
In 2025, nearly NOK 4 million was distributed through the fund, and the board has decided to continue the initiative in 2026, with the goal of allocating up to NOK 5 million to local sports clubs and teams.
–This day is a highlight for us as a foundation, but it is also a springboard into lasting participation. We know that a family’s financial situation affects children’s ability to take part in sports, which is why the sports fund is an essential supplement to the event, says Sletten.
A day with lasting impact
With a full arena, high activity levels, and strong engagement from children, parents, and volunteers alike, W Initiative hopes that the sports festival is here to stay.
– When we see the entire arena vibrating with joy and activity, we know why we do this. The goal is for more children to find a sport they enjoy — and be given the opportunity to continue. That’s when we’ve succeeded, concludes Witzøe.
