Welcome to Norway and Oslo!
Oslo is a perfect city for a sports medicine related congress. With its location between the mountains and the sea and a population which puts major emphasize on exercise and outdoor life Oslo is ready to greet our visitors in a most friendly way. The city of Oslo is more than 1,000 years old and with its access to the sea, has always been a city of travelers. While the Vikings conquered Europe with ships and swords, the modern Norwegians have conquered the world with their oil and shipping business. Be sure to take a stroll around town to see the two landmarks of Oslo, the new Opera House close to our venue and the brand new Holmenkollen ski jump built for the upcoming World Championship in Nordic Skiing in February 2010. Do not miss the ski museum while you are up there! Take the harbour boat over to Bygdøy and see the ancient heroes of Norway - the Viking ships that crossed the Atlantic more than a thousand years ago and the polar ships that took Norwegian explorers to the North and the South Pole. Breath in the contemporary Oslo while strolling on Karl Johan, the main street named after Karl Johan, the Swedish King in the 1800s. Renew friendships in the cafés on the oceanfront while watching the busy life on the harbour! For those who want to get a feel for the recreational life, we recommend a bike trip to Nordmarka, the beautiful recreational area surrounding Oslo. Take time out from your busy schedule and go for a one or two hour bike trip in the silence of the forest and the hills and meet the inhabitants of Oslo on their own turf. We want you to feel like a Norwegian while in Oslo! Use your feet, go for a run, have a snack on the ocean front, try the many variants of Norwegian fish and beer!
The ESSKA Congress is not only a place for science and education, but also a good opportunity to meet ESSKA members, renew friendships and create new ones. We know that you will find ESSKA stimulating and perhaps a future tool for you in your personal development in orthopaedics and sports medicine. Take the opportunity to find what ESSKA can offer you: not only the congress, but a modern, interactive web site, an excellent journal, courses around Europe and good colleagues. If you are not already a member, join ESSKA and be part of the modern development of orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine!
We promise to make your visit to Oslo worth while and look forward to be your hosts in June 9-12th 2010. Come join us!
Lars Engebretsen
President of ESSKA Knut Jæger Hansen
Chair of the Congress Committee
