Since 2001, Hydro has brought teams from Brazil, Slovakia or Jamaica to the football party at the Ekebergsletta in Oslo. This year, eighteen Brazilian boys between 14 and 17 years old participated in the event.

Triumphal entrance

The participants from Brazil were eager to show their football skills in the Norway Cup. Controlled field background, speed and good defense yielded a nine to zero victory against the Skarp team in the first match of the championship. In all, the team won two of the four matches; the latter having to be decided on penalties and, unfortunately, ending up in defeat for the team.

“We trained a lot and started to win. Although the first game was very good, it was important to stay focused on the next games, something that I feel we were able to do, even though we suffered defeat ”, says 16-year-old goalkeeper Ronaldo da Silva Amorim.

Alunorte Rain Forest is formed by boys and girls from Barcarena in Pará, a state in which Hydro has aluminum businesses. Players participate in a local education program with the support of Hydro and Barcarena. Participating in the Norway Cup is a reward for young people for their efforts both in school and in the football field.

In Barcarena, bauxite from Paragominas and Trombetas is refined in alumina at Alumina do Norte do Brasil S.A. (Hydro Alunorte), a factory in which Hydro holds 91% of the shares. Alunorte's production started in 1995 and, after three expansions, today has a total capacity of more than six million tons.

Speed and excitement also off the pitch
The players thought it was great to spend a day at the Tusenfryd amusement park. In one minute at 90 kilometers per hour and in the next minute a free fall of several meters, the boys had a day filled with adventures different from those of football. “Sitting dry on the bench and getting out of there soaked was one of the coolest things about Tusenfryd,” says Ronaldo.

As part of the program, players also visited Hydro's headquarters in Vaekeroe, where they ate hamburgers and ice cream and watched, in amazement, the show by magician Jon Ensor. Floating table and objects that disappeared were the highlights of the show that impressed the young audience.

“Watching a water bottle disappear across a table was incredible. I'll never forget that again ”, says Ronaldo.