The Norwegian government is to distribute DKK3.7bn (£428.6m) to sports and leisure grants across the country in surplus funds from monopoly gambling operator Norsk Tipping.
The figure is an uplift of DKK288m (£33.2m) from last year, the government said.
Overall, an extra DKK180m (£20.7m) will be allocated to sports and leisure facilities in 2024 by the government, taking the total to nearly DKK2bn (£230.2m).
“All children and young people should have the opportunity to participate in leisure activities, regardless of where they live or their parents' economic situation,” said minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery.
“Access to facilities is one of the most important prerequisites for a broad and accessible range of sports offerings.
“The distribution in 2024 means that almost 40 per cent of the application amounts are approved and the average waiting time is reduced by almost half a year.
“We also reduce the backlog from almost DKK3.5bn (£402.9m) in 2023 to just under DKK2.7bn (£310.8m) in 2024.
“With that, we have reduced the backlog by well over DKK1.8bn (£207.2m) during the period of this government. We continue to increase efforts to lower the threshold for participation, therefore we prioritise this.”
