No country in the world can match Norway’s sporting achievements – adjusted for population. And Norway has never been better, according to Greatest Sporting Nation.

They have a ranking system that is based on sporting achievements in a given year.

– As minister of sports, I am very proud that Norway has achieved good results in the international rankings. This is a feat that we, as a small country, achieve time and time again at the high level that we do, and I would like to thank our incredible athletes and support personnel who stand up day after day to represent our country in that regard. . a good way, said Minister of Sports and Culture Abid Raja (V) to VG.

In fact, Norway is second best on the list, regardless of population, beaten only by the United States on the list Biggest Sports Countryranking which is still debated.

– If true, then it is sensational, says Johan Kaggestad.

According to him, it is surprising and very positive that Norway scored so well in the ranking. He believes that the Olympiatopp model should get a lot of credit for the development of Norwegian sport in recent years.

– There is quite a lot of humility in the system, which creates curiosity and means that more and more people are approaching what constitutes ultimate knowledge. The developments Olympiatoppen has led there have been invaluable, said Kaggestad, who worked for 12 years as an advisor at Olympiatoppen.

He pointed out that countries such as the UK and Australia, which have similar systems, have also seen improvements in recent years.

While the United States has 1,018 points in the ranking system, Norway has 788 points and beats Germany, France and Switzerland, who are next on the list. Sweden is number 19 and Denmark is number 30.

– What’s special about Norway is that we cover a wide variety of sports. We’ve been criticized for not being good enough in the biggest sports, but now we have standout athletes in tennis, golf, sand volleyball and more.

This is the first time a country has reached the podium in both the “global cup” and in tables adjusted for population. Norway saw an increase of 9.2 percentage points.

Among men, Norway also topped the global list, while among women it only dropped to 6th place, meaning America ranked first.

– I think this success can be attributed to the way the Norwegians organized themselves from the start. Parents and other volunteers are the backbone of children’s sports in every corner of this country. It begins with play, and through play comes mastery. From there, the excitement and competitive spirit increases for many. We are a country that is also working hard to achieve equality in sport and for everyone to be able to participate at their own pace – regardless of gender or disability, said Raja.

This pandemic has certainly given Norway a lot of “award” which has been extraordinary this season, because the April to December period only contributed 37 percent of the total points awarded.

– It’s a bit strange that you peak all year round. This is the first and most important confirmation that Norway is a great sporting country, and that is very encouraging, he said.

Only five of Norway’s 788 points were earned in this period, and all of them were earned in triathlons.

Norway topped the rankings in the biathlon, cross country and combined categories, and finished on the podium in alpine skiing and jumping.

Kaggestad hopes Norway can now recover after two disappointing Olympics in 2012 and 2016.

– There are reasons to be optimistic, if you look at the summer Olympics like the world in general, then Norway has a big challenge. Norway did badly in Rio and badly in London, so you have to forget about it.

Sweden and Denmark won far more medals than Norway at the 2016 Summer Olympics, but are nowhere near Norway in this year’s rankings.

– We had some great athletes, especially Warholm and Ingebrigtsen, but also three or four athletes who were both at the water’s edge. Norway chimed in and asserted themselves. I think that’s very interesting.