OSLO 2025
SPEAKERS
TIRIL ECKHOFF
Professional Athlete
Tiril Eckhoff is a retired Norwegian biathlete and one of the sport’s most successful and popular athletes. Over her career, she won multiple Olympic and World Championship medals. Tiril also claimed the prestigious overall World Cup title in the 2020-2021 season and holds the record as the woman with the most World Cup victories in Norway. Known for her resilience and sense of humour, she now inspires others as a speaker, sharing lessons from her career about overcoming challenges and achieving success.
Silje Opseth
Professional Athlete
Norwegian ski jumper and world record holder, a member of the national team since 2016 and a two-time Olympian. With 20 individual World Cup podium finishes, including 7 wins, I’m passionate about growth and unafraid to forge my own path.
Founder of Project Optimize—a self-education initiative aimed at fine-tuning every aspect of an athlete’s life. The project focuses on harnessing experience and knowledge to optimise performance, accounting for factors like the menstrual cycle and the unique challenges of being a female athlete. The goal? To minimise fluctuations throughout the cycle and train smarter to reach peak performance.
Júlia Pimenta
Head of Delegations & Programmes
Júlia is a passionate leader in the sport for the development sector, recognised for her work with global organisations to support marginalised youth. As the head of delegations and programmes at Street Child United (SCU), she leads initiatives that leverage sports – notably football and cricket – to promote child rights and social inclusion, including the Street Child World Cup, SCU’s flagship event.
Recently, Júlia led the development and implementation of a football-based, human rights curriculum, piloted in the DRC. The curriculum combines education with sports to empower children to understand their rights and opportunities.
With an academic background in Sports Science and Management, Júlia secured a Chevening Scholarship to fund her Master’s in Sports Business and Innovation from Loughborough University.
Júlia combines technical expertise with a passion for social change. Her commitment to advancing equality, education, and opportunity for young people worldwide is at the core of her work, continually driving impactful, sustainable change through the power of sport.
Dr Bieke Gils
Associate Professor
Júlia is a passionate leader in the sport for the development sector, recognised for her work with global organisations to support marginalised youth. As the head of delegations and programmes at Street Child United (SCU), she leads initiatives that leverage sports – notably football and cricket – to promote child rights and social inclusion, including the Street Child World Cup, SCU’s flagship event.
Recently, Júlia led the development and implementation of a football-based, human rights curriculum, piloted in the DRC. The curriculum combines education with sports to empower children to understand their rights and opportunities.
With an academic background in Sports Science and Management, Júlia secured a Chevening Scholarship to fund her Master’s in Sports Business and Innovation from Loughborough University.
Júlia combines technical expertise with a passion for social change. Her commitment to advancing equality, education, and opportunity for young people worldwide is at the core of her work, continually driving impactful, sustainable change through the power of sport.
Aida Dahlen
Professional Athlete
Aida Dahlen is a highly accomplished Norwegian para table tennis player, known for her remarkable success on the international stage. Born on January 4, 1990, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, she moved to Norway as a child and has become one of the leading figures in para-sports. Competing in the Class 8 category, which includes athletes with physical impairments affecting their arms and legs, Aida has achieved multiple world and European titles, earning a reputation as one of the best in her field.
She has represented Norway in several Paralympic Games, showcasing her skill, determination, and competitive spirit. Aida’s playing style is characterised by her agility, sharp strategic mind, and unwavering focus, making her a formidable opponent on the table. Beyond her athletic achievements, she is celebrated for her resilience and dedication, having overcome significant challenges to reach the pinnacle of her sport. Aida Dahlen’s journey is an inspiring example of perseverance and excellence, and she continues to serve as a role model in para-sports worldwide.
Boris Van Der Vorst
President
Boris Van Der Vorst is a distinguished boxing administrator and healthcare entrepreneur with a remarkable career in sports leadership and business. As a passionate advocate for boxing, he has played a pivotal role in the sport’s global development, focusing on maintaining its central place within the Olympic Movement. His leadership is characterised by transformative initiatives that have significantly raised the profile of boxing both in the Netherlands and on the international stage.
In 2023, Boris was elected President of World Boxing, following his instrumental role as Interim Executive Board Member and Founding Director of the organisation. He also serves as Honorary President of the Dutch Boxing Federation, having previously led the federation from 2014 to 2023. During his tenure, Boris implemented policies that drove substantial growth in memberships and achieved historic milestones, including securing the first Olympic boxing medals for the Netherlands in 24 years at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games. His contributions to the sport were further recognised during his term as Chair of the European Boxing Confederation’s Passion for Boxing Commission from 2016 to 2022, where he was honoured with the 2018 EUBC President’s Award for outstanding performance and enduring efforts in promoting boxing worldwide.
Tiril Eckhoff is a retired Norwegian biathlete and one of the
sport’s most successful and popular athletes. Over her career, she won
multiple Olympic and World Championship medals. Tiril also claimed the
prestigious overall World Cup title in the 2020-2021 season and holds
the record as the woman with most world cup victories in Norway. Known
for her resilience and sense of humour, she now inspires others as a
speaker, sharing lessons from her career about overcoming challenges
and achieving success.
Norwegian ski jumper and world record holder, a member of the national team since 2016 and a two-time Olympian. With 20 individual World Cup podium finishes, including 7 wins, I’m passionate about growth and unafraid to forge my own path.
Founder of Project Optimize—a self-education initiative aimed at fine-tuning every aspect of an athlete’s life. The project focuses on harnessing experience and knowledge to optimise performance, accounting for factors like the menstrual cycle and the unique challenges of being a female athlete. The goal? To minimise fluctuations throughout the cycle and train smarter to reach peak performance.
Norwegian ski jumper and world record holder, a member of the national team since 2016 and a two-time Olympian. With 20 individual World Cup podium finishes, including 7 wins, I’m passionate about growth and unafraid to forge my own path.
Founder of Project Optimize—a self-education initiative aimed at fine-tuning every aspect of an athlete’s life. The project focuses on harnessing experience and knowledge to optimise performance, accounting for factors like the menstrual cycle and the unique challenges of being a female athlete. The goal? To minimise fluctuations throughout the cycle and train smarter to reach peak performance.
Norwegian ski jumper and world record holder, a member of the national team since 2016 and a two-time Olympian. With 20 individual World Cup podium finishes, including 7 wins, I’m passionate about growth and unafraid to forge my own path.
Founder of Project Optimize—a self-education initiative aimed at fine-tuning every aspect of an athlete’s life. The project focuses on harnessing experience and knowledge to optimise performance, accounting for factors like the menstrual cycle and the unique challenges of being a female athlete. The goal? To minimise fluctuations throughout the cycle and train smarter to reach peak performance.
Bieke Gils is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sports, Physical Education, and Outdoor Studies at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Bieke grew up in a small village in Flanders, Belgium, and travelled to Canada in 2007 for a master’s degree in sport management at the University of Windsor, Ontario (2009), followed by a PhD in kinesiology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (2014).
Bieke’s research interests and past projects span a variety of topics, maintaining a steady focus on female leading figures in various contexts. These include North American entertainment industries around 1900, aviation in the United States and Europe between 1920 and 1940, physical education in Canada during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as elite coaching in Norway. Currently, Bieke is leading a three-year research project investigating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the elite sports and arts fields in Norway.
Júlia is a passionate leader in the sport for the development sector, recognised for her work with global organisations to support marginalised youth. As the head of delegations and programmes at Street Child United (SCU), she leads initiatives that leverage sports – notably football and cricket – to promote child rights and social inclusion, including the Street Child World Cup, SCU’s flagship event.
Recently, Júlia led the development and implementation of a football-based, human rights curriculum, piloted in the DRC. The curriculum combines education with sports to empower children to understand their rights and opportunities.
With an academic background in Sports Science and Management, Júlia secured a Chevening Scholarship to fund her Master’s in Sports Business and Innovation from Loughborough University.
Júlia combines technical expertise with a passion for social change. Her commitment to advancing equality, education, and opportunity for young people worldwide is at the core of her work, continually driving impactful, sustainable change through the power of sport.
Boris Van Der Vorst is a distinguished boxing administrator and healthcare entrepreneur with a remarkable career in sports leadership and business. As a passionate advocate for boxing, he has played a pivotal role in the sport’s global development, focusing on maintaining its central place within the Olympic Movement. His leadership is characterised by transformative initiatives that have significantly raised the profile of boxing both in the Netherlands and on the international stage.
In 2023, Boris was elected President of World Boxing, following his instrumental role as Interim Executive Board Member and Founding Director of the organisation. He also serves as Honorary President of the Dutch Boxing Federation, having previously led the federation from 2014 to 2023. During his tenure, Boris implemented policies that drove substantial growth in memberships and achieved historic milestones, including securing the first Olympic boxing medals for the Netherlands in 24 years at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games. His contributions to the sport were further recognised during his term as Chair of the European Boxing Confederation’s Passion for Boxing Commission from 2016 to 2022, where he was honoured with the 2018 EUBC President’s Award for outstanding performance and enduring efforts in promoting boxing worldwide.
Aida Dahlen is a highly accomplished Norwegian para table tennis player, known for her remarkable success on the international stage. Born on January 4, 1990, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, she moved to Norway as a child and has become one of the leading figures in para-sports. Competing in the Class 8 category, which includes athletes with physical impairments affecting their arms and legs, Aida has achieved multiple world and European titles, earning a reputation as one of the best in her field.
She has represented Norway in several Paralympic Games, showcasing her skill, determination, and competitive spirit. Aida’s playing style is characterised by her agility, sharp strategic mind, and unwavering focus, making her a formidable opponent on the table. Beyond her athletic achievements, she is celebrated for her resilience and dedication, having overcome significant challenges to reach the pinnacle of her sport. Aida Dahlen’s journey is an inspiring example of perseverance and excellence, and she continues to serve as a role model in para-sports worldwide.