Normal Full Screen Language Sports in Norway Norway has a population of a little more than four million, over half of whom exercise or play sports on a regular basis.
Competitive sports attract enormous attention.
Norway is a small but very special sporting country. Norwegian speed-skaters, biathlon competitors and ski jumpers have a long tradition of being among the world leaders. Speed-skater Johann Olav Koss won three gold medals at Lillehammer and drew worldwide attention by giving away part of his bonus money to Olympic Aid. Norway's curling teams are among the world's best, and ice hockey, too, is advancing, with the national squad currently in the world's top ten. In major sports, the greatest successes have been scored by women, including the long-distance and marathon runners Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen, world champion javelin thrower Trine Hattestad, the national handball team, and the national football team, which took silver at the first official World Championships in 1991 and gold at the 1995 World Championships.