Norway is the champion of the Winter Olympics. Once again.
The country sits at the top of the medal table with 16 gold and 37 awards in total. The small nation of 5.3 million people surpasses giants like Russia, China and the United States. By comparison, with 8.5 million inhabitants, Quebec totals 13 medals this time, three times less than the Scandinavian champion.
In Pyeongchang in 2018, Norway had done even better with 39 awards, 8 more than Germany yet 16 times more populous.
How to explain this Norwegian miracle that has lasted for three decades already? “For me, Norway’s number of medals is not a miracle: a miracle is something that only happens once”, corrects Allan Bennich Grønkjær, doctoral student at the Norwegian School of sports sciences from Aarhus University. He was interviewed by The duty as the Beijing Olympics were coming to an end. His thesis, which will be defended this year, focuses on the management of elite sport.
“Norway’s overall performance at the 2022 Winter Olympics matches the level expected by the national elite sports organization, called Olympiatoppen. They were aiming for 32 medals before the start of the Games. This number is based on previous results and performance of athletes. In addition, Olympiatoppen knows very well how the different sports groups and athletes have prepared for the Olympics. »
Okay then, no miracle. All the same, the mystery of these exceptional performances remains. Mr. Grønkjær, himself a Dane who has been living in Norway since 2017, offers a trio of basic explanations, three causes with great golden effects:
nature and culture. Norway is not a country, it is winter. Even Oslo, the capital, is surrounded by protected natural areas where Norwegians are physically active even if the winter night reduces the sunshine time to a few hours a day. “There is a long tradition of using the natural environment and the snow during a long winter for fun and training in winter sports. There is also a sports model that advocates “joy for all”. Children are encouraged to try different sports to develop their physical, mental and social skills, but mainly for fun. »
Resources. They exist in quantity to develop athletes. Mr Grønkjær cites highly qualified coaches, funding to support year-round training camps and the ability for some to live as professional athletes. “A well-structured and robust talent development program includes club training for children and young people and a special talent school at teenage level,” adds the connoisseur.
Competetion. The doctoral student points out that at the Winter Olympics, the competitors for the medals ultimately turn out to be quite limited. “In many ski disciplines, for example, the likely medalist will come from Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russia and, occasionally, other countries such as Germany, the United States, Switzerland and France”, says the sports scholar who, it should be noted, did not mention Canada…
This well noted, it also took a political decision to support the objective of aiming for the world summit and to provide the means to get there. The turning point was around the Lillehammer Games in 1994. In order to perform well as a host country, Norway had developed an elite sports program in previous years, which has since borne fruit.
“Norway spends a lot of money to develop winter sports,” says Allan Bennich Grønkjær. The cross-country ski program is comparable to what we observe in professional cycling, where the best team has high level coaches and “mechanics” who would be the equivalent of ski waxers. Athletes also benefit from the services of sports psychologists, muscle training, nutrition experts, etc. »
The Olympiatoppen organization, founded in 1988 near Oslo, concentrates this energetic will. the hub of innovation develops performance scientifically, a bit like a Silicon Valley of sport. This is where, for example, GPS was first used to help alpine skiers find the fastest route down the slope.
Canada has also invested quite heavily over the past thirty years to produce Olympian champions. The Maple Leaf athletes will bring back 26 medals here, including 4 gold, which is still very significant. The bet doesn’t always work out, however: Canadian curling teams come home almost empty-handed (with only one bronze award) despite millions invested each year to support the sport.