This Saturday, May 10th in Bergen, the sound of basketballs bouncing on asphalt will echo through city blocks, while cheers of kids, music, and Instagrammable moments are certain to follow. The Oslo 3x3 event launching in Bergen, is a a living testament to Norway’s evolving social movement that has been ignited within Bergen’s basketball community. At its core, the Oslo 3x3, a well established volunteer organization offering teenagers without membership in a sports club, to do street basketball when time permits and, still - potentially participate in the Olympics. Yes, you read that right, street basketball, capturing youth without a commitment to a club and free to choose the amount of training, can become Olympic Champions. Much like MTV and musical artists once shaped the fashion industry, 3x3 basketball brings that same influence and edge to society. Ready to rollout street basket to the entire country, we are proud to present in Bergen with the mother of all sports - athletics!

This event marks a milestone across geographical and sports borders, from Oslo to Bergen athletics comes together. It is another remarkable collaboration generated by the vision of Meteva Sport og Helse and its new initiative, NextGen Neighbor Network, who firmly believes sports holds the key to address, repair, and resolve youth crime and drug abuse. 

Hosted by Oslo 3x3 and Basketakademiet, NextGen Neighbor Network (NNN), Meteva Sport og Helse, Trond Mohn Games (TMG), and Norsk Friidrett, this event represents a bold shift toward accessibility, inclusion, equality, and purpose. It is about belonging, saying no to drugs, and finding a path to participate in sports for teenagers who can’t commit to membership in a sports club. It’s also about building a community culture where every young person has the chance to be part of sports no matter their background, life situation, availability or family economical status.

Oslo 3x3 basketball is presented in its most organic form—outdoors, fast-paced, and community-driven. No uniforms, no hierarchy, just skill, movement, and mutual respect. What will unfold in Bergen this Saturday is this very vision: youth and elders cheering side-by-side, girls and boys sharing their love for basketball, and a spontaneous eruption of joy that only basketball can create. More than that, it will be a collective act of sports coming together and a window of hope for any kid wanting to be part of a sports community. The words “I CARE” will be visually expressed and led by key figures, athletes, and the sponsorship team members reminding the public that this event coincides with an initiative built on compassion, understanding, and social change. 

Norway, like many nations, faces mounting challenges among its youth—crime, drug use, and social exclusion. The Basketakademiet launch is part of a growing movement to activate a new structure of support using sports both as a tool, a magnet and a method for change. Through the NextGen Neighbor Network, local ecosystems of responsibility are being created—where schools, sports clubs, families, volunteers and public services are aligned and walking in the same direction. NNN’s model is simple, but profound: address, report, and repair simultaneously to reduce repercussions for the children and youth. Using role models from sports signifies a healthy, drug free and motivating opportunity to belong to something greater than yourself.

Basketball has demonstrated an extraordinary equality and inclusivity for children from minority backgrounds, being well assimilated into society through basketball.

This spirit mirrors the broader vision of the collaboration between Basketakademiet and Oslo 3x3, whose outreach efforts have touched thousands of youth across Oslo. By merging asphalt street basketball with existing offers from basketball clubs in Bergen, teenagers have a new place to hang out. 

The additional presence of Trond Mohn Games and Norsk Friidrett at the event was no coincidence. Joining forces between basketball and other sports is a signal to the rest of the country that  a contagious power of collaboration, healthy lifestyle and good values is on the move. It represents a deep understanding between sports partners in Bergen that we take responsibility for the next generation. The answer to fighting youth crime and drug abuse might be right in front of our very eyes.

“What makes this event unique is the collaborative efforts between sports clubs, sports leaders and volunteers to share the social responsibility in a time of deep crisis!” Louise Mohn - founder of NextGen Neighbor Network 

This Saturday is a blueprint for future actions. A demonstration that when we align values, purpose and play, in strong partnerships, we build more than games—we build bridges. We stand united for the next generation, regardless of what sport they do. We create a space for safety, joy, inclusion, equality and feel good factor through sport as a tool to make sure - no kid gets left behind.