The only thing we know is that this will be a record presidential election campaign in a sporting context.

The hope is that it leads to a new commitment and a new awareness of the challenges that great sports volunteers face.

But that’s far from certain.

It already has the incumbent president Kjøll criticized to use the Swedish Sports Confederation’s own distribution channels to promote their own candidacy.

Attempts to secure ownership of the sports empire by making some sort of bid before screenings are likely to boomerang harder on the incumbent president.

There is no doubting that this will be a round of bidding with several stakeholders until a decision at the Sports Council in Bergen in early June next year.

Against a candidate without an opinion

sne Havnelid more than shows his candidacy in a interview on VG 30 September. The most surprising thing wasn’t that he was attracted to the position, but how awkward he was when he appeared.

“What are the biggest challenges in Norwegian sport at the moment, in the short and long term?”, asked VG.

“I haven’t gotten into it yet. First I have to be asked and feel broad support”, Havnelid replied.

The first and foremost thing that one must have as a challenger to the throne is vision.

It’s just a person – and a clear desire for position.

However:

sne Havnelid is the worst opponent that Berit Kjøll can get.

Because there are so many similarities. While all the clear differences in favor of Havnelid.

They were roughly the same age, both lived at Asker and had a lot of managerial experience. But Havnelid also had more adequate sporting connections than Kjøll had to show.

Not only did Havnelid become the leader of ski WC in Oslo in 2011, he also worked with Bjørge Stensbøl in building Olympiatoppen into the central institution that has been a Norwegian sport since the 1990s. For the past six years, he has been the cultural and sporting director of Norway’s own Sarepta’s jar, also called Norsk Tipping.

Now he wants to be the highest elected leader in the sporting nation.

Hatred and dissatisfaction

But it was not resolved for that reason. Kjøll had surprised before. Like when he was elected president of the sport in 2019, while Sven Mollekleiv was an election committee candidate and a big favourite.

Kjøll knows the game. And proved it to his advantage then. As such, he was also not to be underestimated this time around, despite the fact that many believed he was completely crushed.

It was no coincidence that, on the fourth Monday in October, Kjøll responded to Havnelid’s move by launching his own candidacy for re-election.

Berit Kjøll allowed himself to be interviewed at Lovebakken, in front of the power-given fortress, wearing the unofficial bunad of sports leaders, the Dale sweater that is considered popular.

It was also on UN Day itself.

The day when one should have extra awareness about wars, injustices and differences across our difficult world.

Not only is Hamar safe, where Havnelid has managed Norsk Tipping for the past six years.

Kjøll later also told NRK that “I find that this work as a leader needs continuity when you look at the crisis we are in now with the war in Ukraine and the electricity crisis”.

Sounds a lot like Boris Johnson in his final days as British Prime Minister. The only one who can maintain control even in a major international conflict.

And discontent with sports president Kjøll is so widespread that it’s hard to see him standing a chance for re-election.

Described in a rather simplistic way, Kjøll never seems to have had a genuine commitment to the sport and its ever-increasing challenges.

And if there’s anything that’s needed right now, it’s commitment.

Manager, but not sports manager

Although Kjøll has the support of a number of specialized associations, discontent with what he has achieved is widespread in important parts of Sports Norway, including on its own board.

In particular, the treatment called “anti-doping crisis” prove the latter. Clearly, some members of the sports council, including those who have been supporters of Kjll, feel they have been misled.

Kjøll is clearly charismatic and competent Manager. But there is still great uncertainty about whether he is also competent sportManager.

The pandemic gave Kjøll a number of opportunities to position himself as a new and undisputed leading figure in the sport. But he clearly struggled to understand the political process and for the most part ended up emerging as a dutiful puppet of the proactive Minister of Culture Abid Raja. The Norwegian Sports Confederation behaves more like an agency under a ministry than an autonomous power in a decisive crisis, despite the crisis actions that sometimes work as intended.

And that impression still lingers on many people.

He seems, fair or not, not so sincerely involved in the many challenges of sport on themes such as dropping out of school, financial barriers or lack of equality that he is the man who can lead Norway’s largest volunteer movement out of crisis.

As far as that’s possible.

1+1 = 3?

What is an unlikely consequence of the duel between Kjøll and Havnelid is that they neutralize each other much more, fighting for equal support.

That opens up the possibility of a third presidential candidate.

And it may also be healthy for a democratic process in sport with alternative pathways to voting. In slightly different ways, both Havnelid and Kjøll represent the established, in a good way and debatable in a bad way.

There are several names circulating as potential challengers to Kjøll. At the very least, there is speculation about whether circles in the districts, where in many ways the challenges after the pandemic are felt the strongest, should be able to rally potential opponents.

But the most frequently mentioned is Zaineb Al-Samarai.

The former politician and footballer Ap has a refugee background, hails from Holmlia in eastern Oslo and is the vice chairman of the Vålerenga council. He also sits on the current sports board, which will make the nomination extra spicy until the Sports Council in June.

But above all, al-Samarai represents a very clear crossroads in Norwegian sporting management, both in background and age. And through it is also a sports policy priority, according to all sun brands.

The question then is whether the sporting movement is ready to take this step now. Things show that someone really exists.

The challenges of sport have changed so markedly in such a short time that it can open up new ideas in terms of management too.

After all, it’s just a matter of looking forward to the winter of sports where all decisions and statements are dissected in the surgical light of the election campaign.

And as fate would have it, everything will be decided in Bergen.

Not even the people of Bergen could predict what kind of chaos an election in that city could spark.

Now it’s sport’s turn.