Trainers for the Norwegian ladies teams

In August the Chess Olympiad comes to Tromsø in Norway. With seven weeks to go, the two Norwegian ladies teams still do not have anyone to train them. Being trainer to an Olympiad team is no easy job: two weeks of hard work and little sleep; a thankless task, many would say. One might at least expect to be paid for taking it on.

But there is no money! The Olympiad as a whole has had financial problems, and the open team, particularly the first team, have taken the lion's share of what little of the budget has been allocated to the Norwegian teams.

Now, this may be understandable in some respects: the top players in the open team are no less than the World Champion, Magnus Carlsen and four more strong grandmasters, but that there is no money whatever for a trainer for the ladies is rather less comprehensible.

The Norwegian chess federation has, so far, failed to find a solution to this issue. They hope that they can turn up a trainer who is willing to do the job simply for board and lodging, but this is, at best, wildly optimistic.

A figure of 15000 NOK (around 1900 EUR) has been suggested as a sum for which a GM trainer might be found, whilst I have myself (as an IM) offered to be trainer for the second team for 10000 NOK (around 1250 EUR), though would also be more than happy to step aside, if a stronger player could be found for a similar price.

So we need to raise the following:
2000 EUR for a trainer for the first team
1250 EUR for a trainer for the second team
Any surplus funds would go towards paying a small honorarium to each of the ladies for their participation.
Any further surplus funds would be put to supporting womens chess in Norway.