16-Oct-2025Per-Kristian – Boccia Para-athlete

Per-Kristian (32) is a para-athlete in Boccia and has cerebral palsy. He uses the Innowalk daily to stay fit, and with personal assistance he has the opportunity to live an independent and meaningful life filled with activity, sport, and achievement.

In this article you will read about: 
- Per-Kristian lives an independent life 
- Para-athlete in Boccia 
- Innowalk – an important daily activity 
- What does the future hold? 

Per-Kristian lives an independent life 

Per-Kristian is 32 years old and lives in his own apartment in the basement of his mother’s house in Siggerud, Norway. Until he was three years old, he lived in Oslo, but since then the nature surrounding his hometown has been an important part of his life. He especially enjoys spending time in the garden bordering the forest and vividly recalls the time a large moose suddenly appeared right next to the house. He attended the local school and values being close to both nature and the local community.  

To manage everyday life, Per-Kristian has personal assistance (PA), with several assistants rotating to support him. They act as his extended arms and make it possible for him to live an independent life, despite a CP diagnosis (GMFCS level V) and epilepsy. 

Per-Kristian is also an ambassador for Mio (a personal assistance agency) and is strongly committed to raising awareness about the value of personal assistance. He is passionate about ensuring that everyone who needs personal assistance has the same opportunities he enjoys. Drawing on his own lived experience, he is a powerful and credible voice for independence and dignity for people with disabilities. 

Para-athlete in Boccia 

At just 10 years old, Per-Kristian was introduced to Boccia – a sport he quickly became passionate about and has never left. He plays what is known as “ramp boccia,” a variation where the athlete uses a ramp because throwing the ball independently is not possible. 

In this discipline, the player always competes together with an assistant. During the game, the assistant stands with their back to the court and therefore has no overview of the ball positions. Their role is to adjust the ramp according to the athlete’s instructions. It is Per-Kristian who decides where the ramp should be aimed, how it should be set up, and where the ball should be placed. In the end, it is he himself who releases the ball.  

The boccia balls he uses are handmade from leather, with different weights and firmness. This gives them varying characteristics when it comes to rolling and how far they travel. 

Per-Kristian has previously been part of the national team, but says that at the moment he is not at that level. Nevertheless, he trains diligently four times per week, with the ambition of continuing to develop as an athlete. 

Innowalk – an important daily activity 

Per-Kristian clearly remembers the Norwegian TV program «The Inventor» in 2006, where Ånund Olsen won with the innovation “Innowalk.” Ten years later, in 2016, he had the opportunity to start using the device himself.  

At the adult rehabilitation unit at the University Hospital, the therapists assessed that Innowalk could be a valuable activity aid for him. As a wheelchair user, he spends much of his day either sitting or lying down, so it was important to find an activity in a standing position that could provide variation and better conditions for daily physical exercise.  

For someone who has always loved being active, the Innowalk became an invaluable aid in everyday life. Per-Kristian used it between one and two hours a day, until eventually, wear and tear meant it stopped working in 2022. At that point, he needed to apply for a replacement. Unfortunately, this became a challenge since he was over 26 years old. Activity aids for this age group in Norway are financed through a capped budget – which limits how many people receive such equipment each year. As a result, Per-Kristian did not receive a new Innowalk until March 2025. 

He is very pleased with his new Innowalk. The updated model is more stable, provides better support, and has a swivel seat that makes the transfer from wheelchair to Innowalk easier and gentler for those assisting him. Per-Kristian proudly shows the records in the Innowalk Activity Tracker app on his iPad, where he can document that he completes at least one hour of activity every day – the equivalent of a total of 4,700 steps. 

Read also: All you need to know about the latest Innowalk version 2.0! 

The period without the Innowalk took a toll on his body – with more pain and reduced lung capacity. Now he values being able to stay physically active every single day even more, and he takes great joy in what the new Innowalk means for his quality of life.  

What does the future hold? 

Per-Kristian has many strong qualities and incredible determination – also on the political front. He took part in this year’s “Arendal’s week – Norway’s annual democracy festival” , and one of the most important causes to him is an equal Personal Assistance scheme for everyone, regardless of where they live. He points out that if he were to move to another county, he would lose his current PA provision, since the scheme is tied to the county of residence. That would mean having to apply all over again – with no certainty that he would receive an equivalent package.  

For Per-Kristian, this represents far too great a risk, as he depends on the scheme in order to live an independent life. In practice, this “forces” him to remain in the same county, even though he wishes he had the same freedom and flexibility as others to be able to move.

At the same time, Per-Kristian keeps his eyes on the future. One of his biggest dreams is to enter working life. He is already in dialogue with “The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration» about possibilities, and his motivation is strong – he wants to contribute to society on an equal footing with everyone else. With his great interest in IT, and especially data security, he hopes one day to use his knowledge and commitment in a job within this field. 

We wish Per-Kristian the very best for the future, and thank him for sharing his story and giving us a valuable insight into his everyday life.