Norwegian sports fans were mourning the death of another of their athletes this week, after the body of football (soccer) player Tor-Marius Gromstad was found at a construction site in Oslo. The circumstances of his death were unclear, but the cause of death was linked to a fall.
The 22-year-old Gromstad, who played for local football club Stabæk in Bærum, had been reported missing over the weekend after leaving his brother’s apartment in Oslo on Saturday morning without his wallet or mobile telephone. A search was launched but his body wasn’t found until Monday morning. Police ruled out foul play.
Flags at Nadderud Stadium where Stabæk plays in Bærum were lowered to half-mast and Wednesday’s match against Vålerenga was postponed. Gromstad was considered a young star who had been brought to Stabæk as a teenager from Arendal Football Club five years ago. He had started in six of Stabæk’s eight matches so far this season.
His death marks the fourth loss of a major Norwegian athlete in just the past few months. Knut Torbjorn Eggen, another football player and coach, committed suicide earlier this year, skiing coach Inge Bråten died of cancer and world champion swimmer Alexander Dale Oen suffered a fatal heart attack earlier this month.
“It’s all terribly sad,” Nils Johan Semb, head of Norway’s football association, told newspaper Dagsavisen. “It’s just tragic when such a young athlete dies.”
Views and News staff
