Oslo City Council gives the green light to the construction of a large sports facility at Ekeberg

– This is a major investment that Oslo sports has been waiting for far too long. The facility will be located in Oslo Sør, an area with a great need for sports facilities, says city council leader Eirik Lae Solberg (H) in a press release.

The plan is that the municipality itself takes responsibility for realizing the project, referred to as Campus Ekeberg, and that Bækkelagets Sportsklub and Oslo Sports Circle can eventually buy in and become co-owners of the facility.

The city council leader has faith that construction can start quickly.

– We can get started quickly instead of pushing the project into the future. I hope that the construction project can get underway within a couple of years, says Solberg Oslo newspaper.

Dropping school plans

In the original project, it was planned to build a high school next to the sports complex. This part of the project is not realised. According to the municipality, the planned school places were expensive, and the need they were meant to cover has been met with other projects.

– Facilities will nevertheless be built to facilitate teaching in connection with the sports facility. Schools in Oslo can, for example, have subject and sports days at Campus Ekeberg and combine teaching with physical activity, the municipality states.

– An important piece

The Oslo Sports Circle is satisfied with the city council’s decision and refers to this as a special day for sports.

– Campus Ekeberg will increase facility capacity in Oslo for more sports and free up time in other municipal facilities. This is an important piece in an increased focus on the Oslo court, and we are very satisfied with the solution we have now agreed with the city council on, says general secretary Magne Brekke of the Oslo Sports Circle.

Bækkelagets Sportsklub refers to it as a historic day in line with the establishment of the Norway Cup in 1972.

– This is a boost for grassroots sports and will give thousands of children the joy of sport, says board member Ove Hobbesland.