The Stavanger Region are blessed with professional organisors of large annual events that put the region on the global event map. They have now lifted the bar to new levels. They not only focus on social sustainability with their work on gender equality, they have set new standards that might influence the global criterias within their sports. Let us introduce two of the event organisors leading the way – Norway Chess and Tour of Norway.
Norway Chess leading the way in Gender Equality in Chess
Norway Chess is the worlds’ strongest super tournament in chess, and has long been a frontrunner in promoting gender equality on the global chess scene. Over the years, women have held central roles in their tournaments, as chief arbiters, arbiters, commentators, press officers, and in other key positions. But in 2024, they took a significant step forward.
They launched the world’s first fully equal-status super tournament for women: Norway Chess Women.
Held in the same venue and timeframe as the main tournament, and with identical format and prize fund, it sets a new standard for equality in professional chess. In the lead-up to the first edition of Norway Chess Women, key figures at Norway Chess spoke about the importance of the initiative:
“It has been a goal for us for several years now, to create a tournament for females with equal prize funds, so I’m really happy that it’s a reality this year,” says Benedicte Westre Skog, COO of Norway Chess.
“It has to be like this now. It means a lot for women in chess, but also for everyone who has an interest in chess,” added Kjell Madland, Founder and Tournament Director of Norway Chess.
The goal was to shine a spotlight on women in top-level chess – a historically underrepresented group – and to establish a new global benchmark for equality in the sport. The hope is that the visibility and success of Norway Chess Women will inspire more girls to take up chess and show young female players that a professional path is possible.
Recognizing that real change requires long-term commitment, Norway Chess Women returned in 2025.
The 2025 edition brought together six of the world’s top-ranked female players (ranking, June 2025):
· Ju Wenjun (China) – World No. 2
· Lei Tingjie (China) – World No. 3
· Humpy Koneru (India) – World No. 6
· Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) – World No. 7
· Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) – World No. 14
· Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain) – World No. 24
Supported by Norway Chess’s dedicated partners, the tournament continues to open new doors for women in professional chess.
“The second edition of Norway Chess Women was a tremendous success, and we are proud to be setting a new standard in the chess world with equal format and prize fund”, added Kjell Madland, Founder and Tournament Director of Norway Chess.
“We are committed to continuing this initiative and invite sponsors who share our vision of promoting excellence in chess while advancing equality and equal pay – not just in sport, but in society at large.” adds Benedicte Westre Skog.
The continuation of Norway Chess Women underscores Norway Chess’s commitment to lasting structural change – not just symbolic gestures. The impact is deeply felt by the players themselves. Anna Muzychuk, winner of Norway Chess Women 2025, expressed it best:
“On behalf of all the female chess players, thank you so much for starting Norway Chess Women. It is really very important for us. I truly hope there will be future editions – and that we will see each other in the years to come.”
Her words are a confirmation that these efforts matter. That Norway Chess Women is helping shape a more equal future for chess.
2025 champions: Magnus Carlsen & Anna Muzychuk
Another event organisor using their event to create more longlasting societal changes is Fjord Cycling – organising one of Norways’ most spectacular cycling race – Tour of Norway.
Tour of Norway – writing Norwegian cycling history
The Tour of Norway is an international cycling race that has been held since 2011. Today, the event is organized by Fjords Cycling AS, the company previously responsible for the Tour des Fjords, which was established in 2013. In 2019, the organizers of Tour des Fjords and Tour of Norway merged, with Fjords Cycling taking ownership of the unified event under the Tour of Norway name.
“Bringing women and men together in a single international race, under the same name and with equal conditions, has been a milestone—not just for us as organizers, but for Norwegian cycling as a whole,” says Roy Hegreberg, CEO of Fjords Cycling.
For several years, Fjords Cycling has worked toward the goal of establishing a dedicated women’s race under the Tour of Norway banner—and in 2025, that vision became a reality. The Tour of Norway took a major step forward for gender equality in cycling, featuring some of the world’s top female and male cyclists on the same start line. The race offered equal prize money, identical race conditions, and the same professional infrastructure for both genders. Coverage of both the women’s and men’s races was broadcast on TV 2 and its streaming platform TV 2 Play, as well as internationally via Eurosport and its digital platforms.
He continues “We’re proud to have provided equal opportunities and professional conditions, and it was especially meaningful to see Norwegian champion Mie Bjørndal Ottestad make history with both a stage win and overall victory in Stavanger.”
Mie Bjørndal Ottestad won the last stage as well as the overall victory 2025 in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Stavanger, Norway.
1. Mie Bjørndal Ottestad, 2. Justine Ghekiere, 3. Lauren Dickson.
“This is only the beginning. Our ambition is to continue developing and strengthening the event for both women and men in the years ahead,” says Roy Hegreberg, CEO of Fjords Cycling.
Region Stavanger works with promoting the Stavanger Region as an event host region internationally. They emphasize the importance of the event organisors focus on social sustainability.
“We are so fortunate to have such professional and engaged event organisors in Norway and the Stavanger Region. They not only deliver world top events, they also make sure to set new standards for their respective sports. They go beyond event delivery and use their events as tools to create long term societal changes and impact. They add to the overall image of Norway and the regions’ reputation as host region. Long term hard work now pays off, and we hope sponsors and partners see their hard work and dedication behind these results,” Anette B. Larsen is Director B2B.
For any questions related to this article or want to contact us, please contact Anette Larsen at anette.larsen@regionstavanger.com
For more information about the 2 events, see their respective websites; www.norwaychess.com
https://tourofnorway.no/en/
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