World Class Opening on Campus

Jóna Þórey says the opening of a gym in Gróska expands services available for students who come to campus every day. Stúdentablaðið/Unsplash

Translation: Julie Summers

Earlier this October, Icelandic fitness chain World Class announced plans to open a new location on the University of Iceland campus in March 2020. The new gym will be located on the ground floor of Gróska, a new building complex under construction adjacent to the Vatnsmýri Nature Reserve. According to the company’s website, the gym will feature a fully equipped fitness suite, a spinning room, group class facilities, and a hot room for classes like hot yoga. There will also be hot and cold tubs, a steam room, and a sauna.

Looking out for student interests

Student Council President Jóna Þórey Pétursdóttir is excited to see the gym coming to campus and reiterates that students will be taken into consideration when it comes to pricing: “The Student Council has been in communication with a representative of Gróska since the news broke. Throughout that process, we’ve seen that of all the major fitness chains here in Iceland, World Class actually offers the best student discounts, but we want to do even better. That’s why I spoke to the rector about how important it is that the gym be as accessible as possible to everyone, regardless of circumstances like financial situation. The initial response from World Class has been positive, so I can’t help but be hopeful about our discussions moving forward.”

A more self-sufficient campus community

Jóna says the opening of a gym in Gróska expands services available for students who come to campus every day. She believes that over time, changes like this mean there will be less need for private vehicles, and the area around student housing will become more attractive: “I think this is part of making the campus community more self-sufficient. It’s important for students to be able to access major services in the immediate vicinity, and this is just one part of that. It doesn’t only affect students, it also affects employees, which is why I thought it was a no-brainer to see if the rector was interested in working together to ensure that all members of the campus community have affordable options for the gym.”