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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Cath Bishop

Norway’s all-conquering Winter Olympians have a message for us all – and it’s not what you think

Heidi Weng crosses the line in the women’s 4x7.5km cross-country skiing
Heidi Weng crosses the line in the women’s 4x7.5km cross-country skiing and helps Norway top the Milano Cortina medal table. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Norway’s Olympians stormed the mountains of Milano Cortina and left the rest of the world wondering how a nation of 5.6 million people regularly tops the Winter Olympics medal table, this year winning 18 gold medals and 41 medals overall.

They’re not bad at the Summer Olympics either, despite not playing to their obvious national geographical strengths, winning four gold medals and a total of eight medals in Paris 2024. But all this talk of medals detracts from looking more closely at what the Norwegians do to create one of the best and most sustainable sports systems in the world.

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