The United States, a nation of 300 million, won nine gold medals this year in the Winter Olympics. Norway, a nation of 4.7 million, also won nine. This was no anomaly. Over the years, Norwegians have won more gold medals in Winter Games, and more Winter Olympics medals over all, than people from any other nation.
There must be many reasons for Norway’s excellence, but some of them are probably embedded in the story of Jan Baalsrud.
In 1943, Baalsrud was a young instrument maker who was asked to sneak back into Norway to help the anti-Nazi resistance….
Thanks Kendall for posting this deeply moving story. There might be one more ingredient: the word quisling derives from the name Vidkun Quisling, whose fascist party formed a Norwegian government after the German invasion. This only increased Norwegian loathing for the Nazis and all their works, and the associated shame gave them a further impetus to resistance.
Good point Terry,
Though I’ve always wondered why Quisling ended up being the word that passed into the lexicon, when the collaborationist regimes of Jozef Tiso (Slovakia) and Ante Pavelic (Croatia) were far more vicious. Part of the reason may be that, at least initially, they did enjoy popular support. A little hard on Quisling, though.
Isn’t Norway is a socialist, collectivist, pacifist country with terrible tax rates? Who wants to emulate that?
Their socialist finance minister was buying American stock when it fell. A budget surplus, a growing economy, and no national debt. No unreasonable lending practices. The money it got from oil – it put into savings.
I read a Norwegian refer about a national sense of virtue. If you are given a lot, you have a responsibility. It sounds vaguely collectivist.
At least we pay fewer taxes.
Like what else is there to do in Norway but snow sports?? Come to think of it I hope their not losing their snow now.
As an ancillary to Brooks’ theory (and political acumen), I bet more skiers come from Minnesota than from Florida, due to their . . .Scandinavian heritage.
#5–You betcha!
#5, as a Floridian, I beg to differ!! Our lakes are skiable pretty much year round while those poor freezing schmucks in MN (any Minnesotans in the present company are excepted, of course) often have to deal with inclement weather that would preclude any thoughts of hopping in the lake behind their boat!