Norway's secret to winning No. 1 overall for 4 consecutive years is 'sports betting.' [Lee Jong Sung's Sports Culture & Industry]

*This content was translated by AI.

Norway's power, called the strongest winter sports power, continues at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Norway is firmly at the top of the overall standings (15 gold, 8 silver and 10 bronze medals) as of the 18th (local time), winning six gold medals in cross-country skiing, a traditional strong event.

Norway will become the overall winner of the Winter Olympics for the fourth time in a row since Sochi in 2014 if it also ranks first in this competition.

On the 18th, the U.S. daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an article analyzing how Norway became the world's strongest country in the Winter Olympics.

According to the WSJ, Norway, one of the birthplaces of Nordic skiing, began to pay national attention to the development of elite sports, including winter, after poor performances at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics.

Norway created an organization called Olympiatophen. Olympiatoppen was responsible for discovering and fostering promising sports players.

The starting point of the Norwegian sports reform, led by Olympiatoppen, was to allow prospects to experience various sports before they turned 13. It was to help them find the best sports event for them in the future. Of course, the skills and features acquired through other sports can also help give birth to stars in certain sports.

Johannes Hösplot Klevo, 30, a Norwegian cross-country hero who has won 10 gold medals at the Winter Olympics, including five this year's event, has also concentrated on cross-country skiing while experiencing various sports such as soccer and handball.

His trademark "Clevo Stride" (step), which beats opponents based on his strong drive on the uphill course of cross-country skiing, also originated from his lower body muscles trained through other sports such as soccer.

Sports betting also gave Norway the power to become the strongest country in the Winter Olympics. Norway launched the government-managed betting company Norsk Tipping in 1994. When Norsk Tipping opened, it was two weeks before the opening of the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in Norway.

Norwegians showed great interest in Norsk Tipping's betting products. This was due to the fact that a large portion of the proceeds from the betting were used for representative athletes participating in the Winter Olympics. Thanks to this Norsk tipping effect, Norway was able to rank second in the overall rankings with 10 gold medals at the Lillehammer Olympics.

In Norway, sports betting was not just an act of seeking profits, but a people's investment in Norwegian sports.

In fact, when you do norsk tipping in Norway, you can donate 7% of your bet amount to your favorite club or local sports club. The so-called "grassroots share" system allows Norwegians to sponsor local soccer clubs and hockey clubs where their children are active.

Norsk Tipping also distributes 64% of its income from betting to Norwegian sports teams. This is why the purchase of Norsk Tipping betting products has a huge impact on the development of sports.

Norsk Tipping's sports betting products are very diverse. More than 1,000 betting products are registered every day for games such as soccer, handball, hockey, tennis, darts, e-sports, and skiing.

Among them, soccer is the most popular single event. Among them, English Premier League games and Euro tournament games are popular.

Therefore, it is evaluated that soccer betting through Norsk tipping contributes the most to the development of Norwegian sports.

Norway is one of the few countries where Olympic medalists do not receive prize money from the state. However, thanks to Norsk Tipping's grassroots contribution and betting income distribution policy, Norwegian Olympic athletes are supported with training costs. The reputation of the strongest country in the Winter Olympics also stems from the sponsorship of Norsk Tipping.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.