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People From Northern Norway the Most Critical of Norwegian Olympic Bid
A new survey shows that people from Northern Norway are most sceptical of a Norwegian Olympic bid. At the same time, many are open to it if the conditions are right.
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The debate surrounding a new Norwegian Olympic Games gained momentum after Norway delivered a record-strong championship in this year's Winter Olympics in Northern Italy. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor) subsequently opened up the possibility of hosting the Winter Games on Norwegian soil again.
"Norway participates broadly and makes its mark at the top. We belong at the top of the major championships. Therefore, we must also have the debate about hosting the Olympics again," wrote the Prime Minister in a Facebook post in February.
Since then, the Liberal Party, the Socialist Left Party, the Centre Party, the Green Party, and the Conservative Party have also expressed positive views about a new Norwegian Olympic event. It is now being discussed whether Norway should apply to host the Winter Olympics in 2038 or 2042.
A new nationwide survey from Norstat, however, shows that the opposition is greatest in Northern Norway.
38 percent say no
38 percent of Northern Norwegians answered no to whether Norway should bid to host the Winter Olympics. An equal number of Northern Norwegians are open to hosting the Winter Games under the right conditions. This suggests that the region is not completely opposed to the idea but has requirements for what a potential application should entail.
Only 18 percent of Northern Norwegian respondents say yes to an Olympic application. This is the lowest share of yes votes of all regions in Norway.
Northern Norway's response to a Norwegian Olympic bid
A large proportion of northerners do not want Norway to host the Olympics in the near future. Source: Norstat.
"Basis for further consideration of the matter"
Per Larsen, leader of the Skøyen local democratic forum, commissioned the survey. He believes the figures show a more nuanced picture than the high proportion of no votes alone suggests.
"The majority in Northern Norway say no compared to yes, these are people who have made up their minds. But I also interpret the result as 56 percent saying yes, or are open to it if the conditions are right," Larsen tells High North News.
Among the conditions, he mentions the reuse of existing facilities, sustainable solutions, cost control, and choice of location.
"It may be about location, that they believe the event should be held in Northern Norway. That is also a form of yes, and a basis for further consideration of the matter in politics."
Norway has previously hosted the Winter Olympics twice: in Oslo in 1952 and in Lillehammer in 1994.
Since then, the question of a new Norwegian Winter Olympics has regularly appeared in sports debates. In 2014, plans for the Olympics in Oslo in 2022 were dropped. The proposal received a majority in the referendum but lacked political support.
Before this, Tromsø's plans to host the Winter Games in 2018 were also shelved, partly due to financing.
Should Norway apply to host the Winter Olympics?
| Region | Yes | No | Maybe | Don't knoe |
| Northern Norway | 18 % | 38% | 38 % | 6 % |
| Central Norway | 29 % | 32 % | 34 % | 6 % |
| Vestlandet | 23% | 38 % | 31 % | 8 % |
| Østlandet | 29 % | 32 % | 32 % | 8 % |
| Sørlandet | 29 % | 25 % | 37 % | 10 % |
| Oslo | 31 % | 33 % | 33 % | 4 % |
| Entire country | 27 % | 33 % | 33 % | 7 % |
Northern Norway stands out with the lowest percentage of yes votes for the Winter Olympics. Source: Norstat
A Nordic Olympic collaboration
Mayor Gunnar Wilhelmsen (Labor Party) of Tromsø, Northern Norway, believes the high percentage of 'no' responses in Northern Norway is primarily due to economic concerns.
He is sure of his own opinion. With the major geopolitical changes in the world, he sees a Nordic Olympic collaboration as the best solution.
"I am in favor of hosting the Olympics in Northern Norway together with Northern Sweden and Northern Finland. We will collaborate a lot with Finland and Sweden in the future and build a lot of new infrastructure in the Northern Nordic region. Therefore, it would be directly applicable to host the Olympics together."
A Nordic collaboration would also ease the costs by having the countries share the bill, he points out.
"I also don't think Sweden has hosted a Winter Olympics at all. I believe that the Nordic countries should host the Olympics from time to time, and then it is quite natural to collaborate in the High North, where there is snow," he says.
"Good idea to think unconventionally"
The Mayor of Bodø, Northern Norway, Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen (Conservative Party) says that he is initially sceptical about the costs.
"But if there is a majority in favour of hosting in Norway, Tromsø should dust off its Olympic plans, as we can, among other things, make use of previous planning work. Narvik has also built up some capacity in connection with the Alpine World Championships that a potential Olympics could utilize."
Ingebrigtsen also supports the Tromsø mayor's proposal for a Nordic Olympic collaboration.
"I think it's a good idea to think unconventionally, look at reuse opportunities and the total costs. It has become so expensive that it's probably not a bad idea to have several countries involved in sharing the costs," says Ingebrigtsen.
