His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon was the surprise guest at the Parasports Center in Trøndelag, in Norway, the first and only facility for parasports in the Scandinavian country on 5 November.

The Crown Prince entered the court and tried, among other things, wheelchair handball, electric indoor bandy, paracurling and talked to the athletes and the employees who work to create an inclusive sports environment in the Parasports Center in Trøndelag, in Norway.

Handball is genuinely a national sport in Norway, and all of its disciplines have been getting their lion's share of attention. The latest to improve and gain newfound popularity is wheelchair handball, which saw the creation of the wheelchair handball national team, in 2022.

One year later, the Scandinavian team secured the bronze medal at the 2022 World and European Wheelchair Handball Championship, after finishing first in their group in the preliminary round, but conceded a loss in the semi-finals against the Netherlands. Norway bounced back in the bronze medal match against India, which they won, 15:14.

HRH Crown Prince Haakon is an avid supporter of handball. At the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship, he was in attendance in the Trondheim Spektrum, when Norway secured a 30:23 win against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, eventually settling for the silver medal in the competition.

His Royal Highness was also present in the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille, for the final of the women’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when Norway secured their second gold medal in history in the competition, with a 29:21 win over hosts France.

Credit photo: NHF via Det Kongelige Hoff / Trøndelag Idrettskrets