Legendary sports commentator Jon Herwig Carlsen died on Sunday after a long illness.

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It confirms the opposite family NRK.

– He died Sunday night after a long illness. He sleeps peacefully with those closest to him, his son Jon Christian Herwig Carlsen told the channel.

The legendary commentator, known to many as the voice of NRK’s ​​winter sports broadcast from the 1970s onwards, is 84 years old.

Carlsen was, among others, the originator of the phrase “a relay is a relay” and commented on the famous Oddvar Brå bar break in 1982.

Over the years he formed a partner with Kjell Kristian Rike, who died in 2008. Carlsen told in one VG interview shortly after about his close relationship with Rike.

Carlsen received the King’s Medal of Merit in 2008 for his mediation efforts and was also awarded the honorary Gullruten prize the previous year.

– It’s very, very sad. This is a lost piece of TV history. I’ve been very fortunate to have known him for over 50 years, working together for 43 years, former NRK colleague Arne Scheie told VG.

Here you can hear Carlsen’s chirping song – Submit your own variant!

Very versatile

– He’s absolutely fantastic. And we have to include its versatility. All sports! He’s with them all! On the water, on a motorbike, on the snow, Scheie added.

– No job is too big or too small for Jon. His professionalism is amazing. No one has so many sports and takes everyone so well. This is very impressive. I only have positive things to say about Jon as a TV guy.

– He is one of the most important Norwegian TV personalities of all time. Really big.

See what it looked like when Carlsen commented on Oddvar Br’s pole break:

Commented jumps

Scheie and Carlsen commented on the joint jump for NRK over the years.

– I was very lucky to comment on jumping with him for 12 seasons, and it was the most exciting time for me. Both in and out of the box. These are memories I will have for the rest of my life.

– What’s left?

– This is Jon’s colleague, friend and professional TV employee. He is a loner in preparing. He knows more about Matti Nykänen than Nyknen himself. It was fun, and those were the good times I had with him.

– I have a lot of memories with him from Sportsrevyen in the 70s and above. These are good memories, said Scheie.

VG followed Jon Herwig Carlsen to work when he commented on the biathlon at Anterselva in Italy in 2012, a series of photos of which can be seen below.

– A master of dramaturgy

Writer and sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt at NRK paid tribute to his deceased colleague.

– Probably the all-time Norwegian commentator who left. He is a dramaturgist, Saltvedt told VG.

Saltvedt believes Carlsen created sports commentary as we know it today.

– He manages to combine incredible professional knowledge and precision with a commitment you’ve never had on air before Jon did, he said.

He described master limerick Carlsen as “humble” personally.

– One is surprised to meet someone who manages to be so funny and eloquent, but at the same time so humble and humble, says Saltvedt. He added:

– I’ve never seen anyone so well prepared to be “down” on a broadcast, he said of Carlsen’s confident style in the comment box.

– He is definitely a legend in his profession, and he is very skilled at communicating, especially Norwegian achievements and great moments. He has his own ability to come up with words and expressions that are nearly impossible. There’s no pre-written captions there, that is – he’s fantastic, says Ola Lunde, who is an expert commentator on the NRK broadcast of biathlon.

Lunde and Carlsen worked together at NRK from 2000 to 2012, but had known each other long before that.

– There have been so many great trips with Jon, he was fantastic to prepare and fantastic with our travel arrangements. Everything was booked and arranged months in advance.

– There are so many good memories. But is there anything out of the ordinary to be a part of, it’s to comment on the Vancouver Olympics. The days we had there are truly wonderful memories.