Zaineb Al-Samarai


Zaineb Al-Samarai is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She is currently serving as the president of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports since 2023. She previously served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Oslo from 2017 to 2021.
Hailing from Iraq, her family fled to Norway in 1994. Settling in Holmlia, Al-Samarai was elected to Oslo city council in 2011 and 2015 and has chaired Holmlia SK. She is a jurist by education.
In June 2023, she was elected President of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports, defeating incumbent Berit Kjøll in a 138-29 vote. She became the first person with a minority background to hold the position.

Personal life

She is married to Jan Erik Fåne. In November 2023, she announced that she and Fåne were expecting a child and would go on paternity leave from March 2024.