Olympiatoppen Strives to Propel Norwegian Athletes to New Heights

(ATR) In a modest two-story brick building on the outskirts of Oslo, Norwegian coaches and specialists brainstorm innovative methods for athletic performance as Norway’s top Olympians interact in an open and inclusive environment.

Olympiatoppen headquarters is an elite level training center developed by the Norwegian Olympic Committee in the years leading up to the 1994 Lillehammer Games. The primary objective is to serve all needs of Norway’s premier athletes and Olympians.

Offering a relaxed and friendly ambiance, the Olympiatoppen premises include clinics, training facilities, ski simulators, tech gadgets and 32 dorm style rooms where athletes and others frequently stay.

Jarle Aambo became the executive director of Olympiatoppen in 2004 following an accomplished run as Norway’s national alpine ski coach. Currently, he is the project manager for an Olympiatoppen program that aims to develop top achievements in society through collaboration between the fields of sport, culture, business and academics.

"The center of the project is to find the indicators for what is the good mentality, what is the good culture, what is the high-performance culture," Aambo told Around the Rings during an interview at Olympiatoppen. "We’re researching the common indicators and trying to develop this and train with these indicators."

Aambo believes that culture is the dominating influence in achieving high-level performance across all fields.

"It connects to Olympiatoppen, but not only developing high performance here in-house, but also developing high performance culture in Norwegian society," Aambo said.

"We bring all the best athletes together with the best science, the best dancers, musicians from all kinds of music and also some of the business innovators," Aambo explained about the project.

"The idea is to bring all high performance aspects together to get new impulses and to learn and share," the Norwegian sports leader said.

On a recent Monday morning at Olympiatoppen, alpine skier Aksel Lund Svindal rehabilitated an ACL knee injury from a season-ending crash, ladies team handball captain Stine Bredal Oftedal received treatment following a minor injury and Nordic skiing legend Marit Bjoergen worked intensely with her trainer as she tries to return to form after giving in birth in late December. More or less, it was a typical day at Olympiatoppen.

"I normally make a bet with visitors that they will always see an Olympic or world champion, or at least a medalist whenever they are here," Aambo said. "In 25 years, I’ve never lost a bet."

Oftedal, 24, helped Norway to a world title in December. She is hoping to do the same in Rio, as the Scandinavian country seeks its’ third consecutive Olympic team handball gold medal.

"It’s really amazing here – they have all the best coaches, physios and everything that you need," Oftedal said. "All the gold medalists from Norway can give a little thanks to this place."

Interaction and the sharing of ideas among athletes from various sports is part of the philosophy behind Olympiatoppen. Most involved believe that this has been one of the key aspects of the program’s accomplishment over the years.

"When you train in a place where all these other amazing athletes also train, it’s very easy to get motivated," Oftedal said. "For me, it really gives some extra motivation and there is also an extra team spirit feeling."

"Other countries may have bigger and often more centers – this is just one national center and the coaches and athletes are coming here to use it," Aambo said.

Based upon previous international achievements and future potential, the Norwegian sport federations are grouped into green light, yellow light and red light divisions. Upper echelon sports like Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, biathlon, speed skating and ladies team handball are prioritized as green light sports and receive preferential treatment.

Svindal and fellow alpine ski star Kjetil Jansrud are regular visitors to Olympiatoppen. Norwegian alpine skiers are coming off one of their best seasons ever, winning 18 of 44 races. While Svindal and Jansrud have typically led the charge in recent years, Henrik Kristoffersen, 21, won the slalom title, while Alexander Aamodt Kilde, 23, took the super-G title.

Cross-country skiers were once again dominant. Martin Johnsrud Sundby led a 1-2-3 Norwegian finish in the men's overall World Cup standings, while Therese Johaug did the same on the women's side.

Aambo advises that expansion plans are in the works as part of Olympiatoppen’s Campus Oslo project, including a new ice rink. However, the failed 2022 Winter Olympic bid slowed the process.

The 2,500 square-meter Olympiatoppen facility sits near the wooded Sognsvann part of Oslo, a popular cross country skiing area loaded with trails and situated next to Sognsvann Lake. It is just a reasonable, but invigorating hike uphill to the famed Holmenkollen Nordic skiing complex.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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