OSLO 2025
SPEAKERS
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Tiril Eckhoff
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.
Silje Opseth
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.
Dr Bieke Gils
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 Pimenta
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
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
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.
Kamilla Øines
Kamilla, also known as Centane. is a content creator from Oslo, and has been making a living from gaming for the past 4 years. Kamilla began her career playing PUBG competitively, then transitioned into CS:GO, eventually signing with esports teams. Her passion for gaming led to casting, and she has been commentating on Polaris Tournaments in Valorant for Riot Games over the past two years, while proudly serving as the Norwegian Ambassador.
Currently, Kamilla works full-time as a Talent Manager for esports players and content creators worldwide. She is also handling social media for Red Rover Interactive as a junior, where they’re developing an exciting new competitive FPS game which has more information coming this year.
RiikkA Rakic
Riikka Rakic is currently the Head of Strategy, Sustainability and Governance at the International Biathlon Union, where she also manages the implementation of the IBU’s strategic plan.
Prior to joining the IBU, she led the communications function at the International Ski Federation from 2005-2013. She then went on to implement an ISO 20121 certified sustainability program at the 2019 FIS Alpine Worlds and advised candidates for the 2022 and 2024 Games on topics related to sustainability and legacy. From 2017- 2020, Riikka led an FIS project known as “Get into Snow Sports” designed to promote snow sports in China while serving as Director of IF Relations at the World Academy of Sports.
Bente Ovedie Skogvang
Mulan Friis
Elin Yoojung Moen
Elin Yoojung Moen is the President of the Norwegian Esports Federation. She’s also the Vice President of the Nordic Esports Federation, by the time of the event at Ullevål she will be the President of the Nordic federation.
She’s a former Taekwondo athlete, and is a certified CrossFit lv2 Coach.
She has over 10 years of experience working in the esports event scene in Norway. She speaks fluently French and English, and she has lived abroad several years in France and Korea that has led to an impressive understanding of different cultures and a network that stretches across the entire world.
She also works actively as an AV technician/Project leader at a Norwegian production company.
Sarah Lewis OBE OLY
Sarah Lewis, OBE OLY is a highly respected international sports leader with an extensive network across the Olympic Movement and sport industry.
Sarah became an Olympian (OLY) in Alpine Skiing, representing Great Britain at the Calgary 1988 Games. From 1998 to 2020 she was Secretary General of the largest international winter sports federation, FIS (skiing and snowboarding). Subsequently she established Sarah Lewis Global Sports Leader GmbH in 2022 providing services to sport, business, and society.
Additionally, she was appointed Secretary General of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federation, a member of the IOC Programme Commission and Coordination Commissions for the Olympic Winter Games and Youth Olympic Games (2026, 2022, 2020, 2018) and served on the Steering Committee of the SportAccord International Federation Convention (2002-2020).
In 2018 Sarah was awarded the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on the Queen’s New Year Honours List for services to sport.”
For a more complete overview of Sarah’s background and activities check out her profile on LinkedIn: Sarah Lewis OBE OLY | LinkedIn
Ingrid Beutler
Ingrid has worked for over 20 years in international sport, guiding international law and regulatory frameworks, policy and strategy to address sustainability challenges across the environmental, social and governance dimensions. She is Senior Partner at Think Beyond, a social impact and sustainability consultancy, working in and through sport, leveraging powerful platforms for positive change. With a masters in international law and bachelor degrees in law, geography and political science, her former roles include Integrity Manager, International Olympic Committee (IOC); Director, Social Responsibility and Integrity, General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF); and Head of the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP). Ingrid is co-founder of the non-profit Sustainable Mountain Alliance (SMA), and is a passionate mountain athlete and former elite road cyclist.
Boban Totovski
Boban Totovski is the General Secretary of the International Esports Federation (IESF) and a prominent figure in esports for over 20 years. Before taking on his role at IESF, Boban was deeply involved in the esports scene, also serving as President of the Macedonian Esports Federation, where he organised national tournaments and achieved significant success in multiple World Championships. Now at IESF, he unites 140+ national esports federations, bringing the vision of IESF and its Executive Board to life. Boban leads the organisation of the World Esports Championship (WEC) and focuses on athlete development, international competitions, and advancing Esports as a recognised discipline in every corner of the world.
Erin Bourke
Since joining the FIA in 2023, Erin has established the award-winning United Against Online Abuse Campaign, growing it into a coalition of 28 members and 39 affiliated federations. She has co-authored influential publications, co-produced the first open-access Online Abuse Educational Module, and brought together 75 global stakeholders for the inaugural UAOA Conference.
Passionate about youth empowerment and protecting sport officials, Erin launched digital literacy workshops that equip young people with the tools to navigate online spaces safely and focus groups to develop 360 safeguarding models. Through these initiatives Erin continues to inspire lasting change, fostering safer, more inclusive digital spaces across global sports communities.
Anne Tjønndal
Anne Tjønndal is a Professor of Sociology of Sport at Nord University, Bodø – Norway. She is head of RESPONSE – Research Group for Sport and Society at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Her research encompasses a wide range of topics within the sociology of sport, including innovation and sports technology, esports, women’s participation in male-dominated sports, coaching and leadership, and the dynamics of social inclusion and exclusion in sports participation. Tjønndal, a former boxer, currently serves as the Vice-President of the Norwegian Boxing Federation and leads the federation’s inclusion program for girls and women, Norway Female Box.