“Let me introduce…”. Speaker Marta Norheim took an extra deep breath. As if she had to add an extra, historical octave to her voice. It was on the day 100 years after the very first Winter Olympic Games, those in Chamonix, France in 1924. The venerable Målstova in the National Library at Solli Plass in Oslo was packed and filled with anticipation. The entire stage wall was lit up with a ski jumper in majestic flight. Espen Bredesen on a focused path to Olympic gold. The framework was to some extent set and defined. By now Marta Norheim had also reached the point of departure. She hit perfectly. “…. Vegard Ulvang”. 30 YEARS ON: Espen Bredesen during the Olympics in Lillehammer adorned the background during a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the first Olympic Winter Games. Photo: Jan Petter Saltvedt / news Tidenes winter games Even though the hall knew well what was coming, it was as if one could feel expectant gasps through the assembly as Ulvang calmly entered the stage. As if the smiling Finnmarking itself had been taken out of its permanent place in the national library’s collection of treasures. After the King himself, there are very few, if any, who evoke a unison belief in the nation of Norway like Vegard Ulvang. When Lillehammer organized the Olympics in 1994, it was almost a popular demand that it was he who was to take the Olympic oath on behalf of the athletes during the somewhat magical opening ceremony in Lysgårdsbakkene on 12 February. On 12 February 1994, the Olympic Games opened in Lillehammer with a grand opening ceremony in Lysgårdsbakkene. In the same place as then IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch 16 days later, they trumpeted the historic words “Best winter games ever” during the closing ceremony. The words were supposed to create euphoria – but also become a kind of curse. Partly for Samaranch himself, who realized he had insulted all previous host cities with his bombastic selection. No Games, summer or winter, have necessarily received such a stamp from an IOC president later. ‘The best winter games ever’, said IOC President Samaranch at the closing ceremony in 1994. Never have such words been used, neither before nor since. But what made the toys so unique? What made Johann Olav Koss so good? Can the success ever be repeated? And – not least – are we ever going to stop humming the Olympic trope? These are some of the questions the last program in the series about Lillehammer in 1994 tries to answer. Olympic tangles But it was actually also supposed to be a kind of curse in disguise for the Olympic nation Norway. For 30 years later, it is still this sentence that defines the expectations of how a possible new Olympics on Norwegian soil must appear. And they have defined an Olympic folklore that more and more of the third of the population who did not experience the Games still have to deal with. The percentage is increasing. But the storytelling doesn’t change. Stories like the one about the Lillehammer Olympics are defining for a nation. They are uplifting. And they are inspiring. Whether they are about Johann Olav Koss’ three world records, Oksana Bajul, Espen Bredesen’s revenge, the thousands of smiling volunteers, Stine Lise Hattestad’s gold in shot put, Stågata or Dan Jansen’s emotional gold. GOLD: Ukrainian Oksana Bajul (centre) was so happy for the Olympic gold in figure skating in 1994. Coach Galina Zmievskaja on the left. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Or about tangles. The Olympic tangles were also to create their lasting inspiration. Especially the one about the criticism of the IOC and the aforementioned president Samaranch, Vegard Ulvang’s road to eternal greatness was not primarily via his three Olympic gold medals. One of these was Norway’s first ever three-mile race. With that, he removed a national sporting trauma. At Lillehammer, he came close to creating a new one. Both he and Olympic chief Gerhard Heiberg had made undisguised criticism of the owners of the five rings, the all-powerful IOC, just ahead of the Games. This was not common. This made noise. To the extent that the IOC threatened to cancel the Games. Heiberg had to go through a diplomatic tour de force. With the help of the two aforementioned greats, Vegard Ulvang and the King himself, he gained control of the situation. And with that changed the further history of Norwegian sports. OPENING CEREMONY: The Olympics started as planned in 1994. From left: King Harald, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Gerhard Heiberg. Photo: NTB A curse in disguise The Games were supposed to be the best ever. And the rebellion against the IOC and what the organization stands for should once and for all have planted itself in the Norwegian sports soul. The latter is the most important answer to the question many younger people ask themselves: Why can’t we also share in this experience? “We should definitely host again,” says Vegard Ulvang from the stage at the National Library. But that requires a will that is not there at the moment. Because the euphoria from Lillehammer, which lasted well into a new millennium, died down. The euphoria brought us into a new Olympic debate ahead of the 2018 Games being awarded. And ended in a rather undignified location dispute between four Norwegian cities. When it came close that the next Winter Olympics would be awarded, only the capital was a candidate. A referendum in connection with the 2013 election also provided the necessary majority in the population. But the Olympics are not primarily a sporting event. It is a marketing of a nation. Then the politicians must be on board. OL-ED: Vegard Ulvang took the Olympic oath at Lillehammer in 1994. Photo: Åserud / SCANPIX The big chance that disappeared A year later, the politicians also said no. The Conservatives’ parliamentary group dramatically announced its refusal. Cost considerations trumped emotions and the fulfillment of collective dreams. With the good help of a precisely timed article in VG earlier in the day, which revealed an almost absurd list of demands from the IOC officials. Including a cocktail party with King Harald himself. The dream of the 2022 Olympics was shattered. Hindsight shows that everything indicates that Oslo would have won the Games if Norway had applied. Instead, they ended up in a dystopian wintry postcard from Beijing. Because the IOC had no choice. There is no indication that the situation in Norway has changed to any great extent. 2042 at the earliest The inherent resistance means that no one really dares to speak out loud about a new application. When the Norwegian Sports Confederation set up a so-called exploratory committee in 2021, led by Mina Gerhardsen, which was to look at the interest in sports for a new Olympics in Norway, it ultimately ended in nothing. Long before the results were submitted to the politicians. Everyone wants the experience, no one can bear the discussion. Now all thoughts of reviving the idea have been relegated to the distant future. The 2026 Olympics will be held in Italy, the 2030 in France. In 2034 it ends up in the US or Canada and in 2038 somewhere in Asia, probably Japan. The next realistic possibility for an Olympics in Norway is not until 2042. By then, a new and extremely unpredictable competitor will probably have announced its arrival. The skin nation Saudi There was a lot of excitement when Saudi Arabia was awarded the Asian Winter Games in 2029. Saudi Arabia. The Winter Games. As inconceivable as it may still appear, this is part of the gigantic future project Neom, which is under construction in the north-west of the kingdom, not far from Kaba Bay. The ski resort Trojena is part of this. If the Games are a success, an application to host the Winter Olympics is expected to be the natural next step. The contrast with Maihaugen could not be greater. In the meantime, the Olympic outfits and pins have been brought out of the cupboards for another anniversary in Lillehammer. There will be many more of these before the fire again shines above the earth. The acclaimed Olympic chief Gerhard Heiberg ended up, unsurprisingly, as a prominent IOC member, and is through this the most powerful Norwegian sports leader of all time. And an optimistic one. When on Saturday he took part in singing and tangling in Gågata in Lillehammer on the occasion of the 30th anniversary, his conclusion in the Lørdagsrevyen was still as clear as clockwork: “The moment you wish in Norway or Lillehammer, they will get the Olympics again.”. Nevertheless, the line under the word “desire” could never be clearer. Or further away.
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In 30 years, everything will be forgotten – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
