Play for fun, not competition: The youth policy behind Norway’s sporting success

Written by Namit KumarUpdated: July 26, 2022 7:37:30 pm

At the recently concluded World Athletics Championships, there was huge anticipation among the Norwegian contingent.

Their biggest track star, Karsten Warholm, came to Eugene on the back of a hamstring injury that kept him out of competition for 10 months. The world no.2 in men’s 400m hurdles, two-time defending Worlds champion, and the holder of a world-record time (45.94 seconds) set at the Tokyo Olympics last year, Warholm was clearly out of touch, finishing seventh.

However, the brunt of Norwegian expectation was reserved for 21-year-old Jakob Ingebritsen. The men’s 1500m world no.1 and reigning Olympic champion may have been disappointed to bag silver at the event but later redeemed himself by securing the country’s only gold of the tournament in the men’s 5000m.

Whether they lived up to their lofty standards or not, the duo are undoubtedly two of the biggest track stars in the world, coming from a country that, despite a population of 5.4 million people – a few hundred thousand short of that of Ahmedabad – has emerged as one of the most successful sporting nations in the world.

FINALLY, AND WHAT A RACE!

Jakob Ingebrigtsen 🇳🇴 runs 13:09.24 over 5000m and strikes his first ever world title.#WorldAthleticsChampspic.twitter.com/YOnncDBumS

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) July 25, 2022

Both Warholm and Ingebritsen spent their developmental years in their home country, and were part of a youth sports system, subsidised by the government, that more than anything else, prioritised having fun.

The Norwegian establishment introduced ‘Child Rights in Sports’ back in 1987, but the 2007 update is what propelled the current generation of athletes. The eight-page long document can be summarised by its very first sentence: “Children are engaged in sports because they enjoy it.”

In Norway, a record number of children take part in sports, not because of organised competitions, but because they enjoy it. There are no competitive events till the age of 12, and children are not allowed to specialise. The result is that most kids participate in various different sports, which not only helps take the pressure off, but also aids their physical development more holistically.

Even the prodigious Ingebritsen, a track runner since he was eight who completed the 1500m/5000m double at the European Championships at the age of 17, was pushed into different sports by his family as a child. “All of us have been doing football, skiing and running and a lot of different stuff. It’s definitely something to consider – start being really active and training from an early age,” he was quoted as saying by World Athletics.

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This policy’s success speaks for itself. At the Winter Olympics this year, the Scandinavian country topped the medal table with 37, with another table-topping feat of 16 golds. And while the Nordic country’s climate makes it a natural home for winter sports, their success in summer sports has been unprecedented too.

The World No. 1 chess player and reigning five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen also comes from Norway, so does 2022 French Open runner-up and men’s World No. 6 Casper Ruud, and Viktor Hovland, the World No. 9 golfer who finished a tied fourth at The Open this month. Add to that Ada Hegerberg, a path breaker for women’s sport who won the first-ever women’s Ballon d’Or and is a six-time winner of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and the top scorer of the competition’s history.

READ |Women’s Euro 2022: Every sport deserves its Ada Hegerberg

This Norwegian concept is unlike developed countries like the United States, where children are pushed into competitive environments at a young age and there is a huge clamouring for scholarships. Or unlike India, where the competition is high and stakes even higher for athletes who wish to pursue sports professionally and they must be able to compete at the highest level by a certain age to do so.

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Norway’s policy does not just put a premium on their young athletes’ physical and mental health, but by allowing them to pursue different sports, it allows a kind of versatility and physical prowess that does not produce one-dimensional athletes. The most high-profile example is one of European football’s biggest talents, Erling Haaland.

There is no greater billboard for professional sports than modern European football, and Haaland’s ascent to the top, represented by a recent high-profile transfer to Manchester City, makes him one of Norway’s most recognisable athletes.

His father, Alf-Inge, also played for City, but he moved back to Norway with his family during the player’s upbringing. In an interview with Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, Alf-Inge revealed that his son played handball, athletics, cross-country skiing, and tennis until the age of 14. “Versatility is important. You get to develop completely different sides of the body, and that can be positive no matter what you do,” he said.

Gol pertama Erling Haaland untuk Manchester City dicetak dipertandingan menghadapi Bayern

Video: @Tomiconcina1pic.twitter.com/DT3SX77inC

— Berita Sepakbola Dunia (@gilabola_ina) July 23, 2022

Haaland’s huge leap allows him to be a big threat in the air, his incredible power in his calves and quads allows him a burst of pace that has made him a huge goal threat on transitions. The 22-year-old showed plenty of promise in both these attributes from a very young age, holding the unusual (and unofficial) world record for standing long jump for a five-year-old, one he completed when he was trying out different sports at a local club in the small town of Bryne.

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The socio-political and economic differences between Norway and countries like India or the US make it hard for them to replicate this system. But the fact that the best athletes in the world are coming from a youth system that prioritises enjoyment over winning an elusive Under-12 district championship does show that there are lessons that can be learnt.

© The Indian Express (P) LtdFirst published on: 26-07-2022 at 07:01:02 pm Next Story

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