Research by our Sports & Society Program has recognized Norway as having the most socially effective sport system in the world. Now, with Norway topping the medal count at the Winter Olympics for the third consecutive time, executive director Tom Farrey shares the program’s plan to help the U.S. sports sector embrace and adapt key features of the proven model – and how stakeholders, from parents to policymakers, can assist.
How Norway won all that Olympic gold (again)
Norway has the population of Minnesota. But that that didn’t stop the tiny Scandinavian country from topping the medal standings at the recently completed Beijing Olympics, just as it did in 2018 at the PyeongChang Games. Indeed, this time, its athletes won a record 16 gold medals across six disciplines. The performance burnished Norway’s reputation as having the best sport system in the world, both in elite performance and making a meaningful contribution to communities and its democracy. We invited three architects of Norway’s sport system to share their insights.