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Holmenkollen is a hilly area in the outskirts of Norway's capital Oslo (within the city's area proper). The area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous, eponymous, ski jump arena hosting competitions since January 1892, where it attracted 10,000 spectators.
As well as ski jumping, Holmenkollen serves as a venue for cross-country (XC) skiing, Nordic combined (cross-country skiing and ski jumping), and biathlon (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting).
Along with Trondheim and Lillehammer, Holmenkollen serves as a national and World Cup status venue of Nordic skiing. The Holmenkollen weekend, in March every year, is one of the most important annual sports events in Norway, with the men's 50 km cross-country skiing and the ski jump competition as the highlights. The ski jump competition serves as the final in the Nordic Tournament. Holmenkollen also annually hosts biathlon world cup competitions.
As a national symbol Holmenkollen is one of Norway's most visited tourist spots, with a ski museum (opened in 1923) and the hill tower as the main attractions. The area is served by the suburban railway Holmenkollbanen, officially part of the Oslo T-bane system. Holmenkollen station is the stop closest to the ski jump.
Holmenkollen's Ski Jump Controversy
The current tower dates from 1939. The ski jump has been upgraded as many as 15 times over the years, but stems largely from the Winter Olympics of 1952.
In June 2005 Holmenkollen came fourth in Oslo's "Structure of the Century" competition, with only 12.8% of the vote losing out to the capital's city hall.
At the time of writing, the future of the Holmenkollen ski jump is uncertain. It is one of the smallest hills in the World Cup tournament, and The International Ski Federation FIS made it clear in September 2005 that the current hill does not meet the standards to award Oslo the 2011 Nordic Skiing World Championships. Options were to spend large amounts of money updating the ski jump, demolishing the jump and building two jumping hills in its place (large and normal hill), or building two new hills and keeping Holmenkollen as a historical monument. But in December 2005 Norway's Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Nils Marstein approved the demolition of the ski jump.
It had been revealed that in order to get Holmenkollen up to athletic requirements then NOK 310 million (USD 46 million, GBP 26.5 million) would need to be spent on it. Of this amount, at least NOK 155 million would be expected to come from the City of Oslo, however in February 2006, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen offered only NOK 70 million (USD 10 million, GBP 3.8 million). Then in March 2006 a presentation was made by Oslo officials to show what a newly rebuilt Holmenkollen Ski Jump might look like, but the price had increased to NOK 450 (USD 74 million, GBP 39 million). The City of Oslo are still only offering NOK 70 million, but Oslo Mayor Per Ditlev Simonsen and Ski Association official Rolf Nyhus are still moving forward with Holmenkollen redevelopment plans. The new plans will include a new large ski jump, stadium, a new normal jump at Midstuen (just below Holmenkollen) and a new jumping center. New regulations demand that the jump has permanent protection from wind and to have a plastic surface that would allow year round jumping.
International championships
- 1930 - Nordic skiing World Championships
- 1952 - VI Winter Olympics (arena for Nordic skiing)
- 1966 - Nordic skiing World Championships
- 1982 - Nordic skiing World Championships
- 1986 - Biathlon World Championships (men competitions only, woman competitions held in Falun, Sweden)
- 1990 - Biathlon World Championships (together with Minsk, USSR and Kontiolahti, Finland)
- 1999 - Biathlon World Championships (together with Kontiolahti, Finland)
- 2000 - Biathlon World Championships (together with Lahti, Finland)
- 2002 - Biathlon World Championships (mass-start competition)
Oslo/Holmenkollen will host the 2011 Nordic skiing World Championships
Hill records
- Men: Tommy Ingebrigtsen, Norway, 136 meter (2006)
- Women: Anette Sagen, Norway, 128 meter (2005)
Winners over the years
| Winner | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Two-time winners | ||
| Paul Braaten | Norway | 1900 (30km), 1901 (30km) |
| Karl Hovelsen | Norway | 1902, 1903 |
| Sven Utterström | Sweden | 1929, 1930 |
| Nils Karlsson (Mora-Nisse) | Sweden | 1947, 1951 |
| Arto Tiainen | Finland | 1964, 1965 |
| Pål Tyldum | Norway | 1969, 1972 |
| Gerhard Grimmer | East Germany, now Germany | 1970, 1971 |
| Gunde Svan | Sweden | 1986, 1990 |
| Alexey Prokurorov | Russia | 1993, 1998 |
| Andrus Veerpalu | Estonia | 2003, 2005 |
| Three-time winners | ||
| Sverre Stensheim | Norway | 1959, 1960, 1961 |
| Oddvar Brå | Norway | 1975, 1979, 1981 |
| Thomas Wassberg | Sweden | 1980, 1982, 1987 |
| Vegard Ulvang | Norway | 1989, 1991, 1992 |
| Four-time winners | ||
| Elling Rønes | Norway | 1906 (40km), 1907, 1908, 1916 |
| Five-time winners | ||
| Lauritz Bergendahl | Norway | 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915 |
| Six-time winners | ||
| Thorleif Haug | Norway | 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924 |
| Winner | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Two-time winners | ||
| Stefania Belmondo | Italy | 1997, 2002 |
| Three-time winners | ||
| Larissa Lazutina | Russia | 1995, 1998, 2001 |
| Julija Tchepalova | Russia | 1999, 2004, 2006 |
| Winner | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Two-time winners | ||
| Torbjørn Falkanger | Norway | 1949, 1950 |
| Bjørn Wirkola | Norway | 1966, 1967 |
| Vladmir Beloussov | Soviet Union, now Russia | 1968, 1970 |
| Ingolf Mork | Norway | 1971, 1972 |
| Matti Nykänen | Finland | 1982, 1985 |
| Jens Weissflog | East Germany, now Germany | 1989, 1990 |
| Three-time winners | ||
| Reidar Andersen | Norway | 1936, 1937, 1938 |
| Arne Hoel | Norway | 1948, 1951, 1959 |
| Four-time winners | ||
| Adam Malysz | Poland | 1996, 2001, 2003, 2006 |
Holmenkollen Medal
The Holmenkollen Medal is Norwegian skiing highest possible award for competitors. It siginifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events.
External links
- Skiforeningen - Official site for Holmenkollen
- Destination Holmenkollen
- Holmenkollen 2011 World Championships Bid
- Nordic Tournament
- Holmenkollen Winners since 1892
- Holmenkollen Medalists
Sport in Oslo | Ski areas and resorts in Norway | Nordic skiing | 1952 Winter Olympics venues
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"Holmenkollen"