Statoil continues to pump up profits from its oil and gas operations. Pictured here, the Sleipner platform off Norway. PHOTO: Statoil/Dag Myrestrand

Statoil remains on a roll, pumping oil revenues and profits into the state treasury and the hands of other investors. It reported adjusted after-tax earnings (external link) in the fourth quarter of NOK 14.5 billion (USD 2.5 billion), up from NOK 11 billion in the same quarter the year before. Annual earnings were still deemed preliminary, but Statoil said it paid NOK 112.6 billion in taxes during 2011, up from NOK 92.3 billion in 2010. Net operating income amounted to NOK 211.8 billion, up from NOK 137.3 billion in 2010.

“Statoil delivered record financial results, further improved safety and made important strategic progress in 2011,” declared Statoil’s president and chief executive, Helge Lund. He was referring to the discoveries of potentially huge new oil and gas deposits off the Norwegian coast which are generally believed to extend Norway’s oil age for many more decades.

Quarterly loss at Telenor
The state, by contrast, suddenly faces big losses on the stake it still holds in telecoms firm Telenor, which evolved from the former public telephone utility in Norway. After posting billions in profits in 2010, Telenor took a loss of NOK 1.7 billion during the fourth quarter of last year, tied to its troubled investment in mobile telephone operations in India.

The loss compares to a profit of NOK 3.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010. Company officials said their “challenges in India” are the reason for the quarterly losses now. For the year as a whole, Telenor earned NOK 13.3 billion in profits, down from NOK 20.2 billion in 2010.

Last week Telenor announced it was writing down its investments in India by NOK 4.2 billion (USD 700 million) after India’s highest court ruled in favour of yanking mobile phone licenses held by Uninor, Telenor’s joint venture company in India. The licenses were initially obtained by the Indian company Telenor bought into to form Uninor, Unitech, which is embroiled in a corruption case that spurred the high court ruling.

Telenor chief executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that competition in India was extremely aggressive, and that Telenor now was evaluating all option regarding its further involvement in the country. The company got some support from the highest government levels on Monday.

SAS’ profit outlook spoiled again
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), meanwhile, had to report another big pre-tax loss of SEK 1.6 billion even though revenues rose and SAS carried more passengers last year. The loss disappointed SAS executives who had hoped to finally post some black ink after years of turbulence.

The loss was blamed on the recent  bankruptcy of Spanair, in which SAS had ownership and cooperation interests. Spanair cost SAS around SEK 1.7 billion, according to chief executive Rikard Gustafson.

“After adjusting for the effect of Spanair, we delivered marginally positive results,” said Gustafson, but admitted the bottom-line loss was “disappointing.” SAS otherwise could report a strong 7.8 percent increase in passengers during 2011 and revenues of SEK 41.4 billion, up from SEK 41.1 billion in 2010.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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This was the scene at one poultry producer, where chickens were 26 days old and ready for slaughter. PHOTO: Mattilsynet

The inspections by Norway’s Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet) found violations at 102 of the 152 poultry producers visited during the major inspection program conducted throughout 2011, according to their report released on Tuesday.

“We have uncovered violations of regulations that directly affect animal welfare,” said Ole Fjetland, director of inspections for Mattilsynet. The violations, Fjetland said,  involved demands for the quality of ground covering in the buildings where chickens are kept, periods of darkness that are too short to allow the chickens to rest, excessive numbers of chickens showing signs of exhaustion, lack of sufficient access to food and water, and poor routines for dealing with sick or injured chickens.

“We expect the poultry industry to clean up its act,” Fjetland said. “Animal welfare must be improved.”

Defies industry’s own assessment
The findings are at odds with claims made by the head of the poultry industry association Norsk Fjørfelag, David Koht-Norbye, that “all chickens sold in Norway are healthy and fresh and have a good life as long as they live.” He told newspaper Aftenposten before results of the authorities’ inspections were released that he was convinced poultry growers had “become much better” at taking care of their chickens.

The industry spokesman was responding to preliminary findings by Mattilsynet last year that found violations at 31 of 35 chicken farms. He claimed he could document progress, and noted that many of the violations were minor. He also said the slaughtering houses inspect every chicken delivered by poultry growers.

The authorities had a different view on the industry, which has grown quickly in Norway over the past 20 years. It was almost impossible to find fresh chicken, especially chicken parts like breast meat or thighs and drumsticks, in grocery stores as late as 1990. Breast meat, called kylling filet in Norway, didn’t start appearing regularly on grocery store shelves until the early 1990s and whole fresh chickens were still sold mostly at speciality shops. The poultry industry has virtually exploded since then, with annual Norwegian consumption rising from just four chickens per capita in 1992 to around 13 now, reported Aftenposten.

Violations ‘at every step’
The rapid growth is in part what led to what the authorities called their “systematic inspection” of poultry production. They visited hatcheries and monitored the transport of baby chicks to the farms where they’re given around 30 days to grow. They also monitored transport to slaughterhouses and conditions there as well.

The authorities found violations “at every step along the way” that were critical to the welfare of the chickens. The actual 152 places visited were not chosen at random, according to officials at Mattilsynet. Instead, they were believed to represent the greatest risk to animal welfare after preliminary evaluation.

Four out of five slaughterhouses broke rules regarding personnel training, how containers of live chickens were emptied and how birds were handled. Some had broken legs before being hung up for slaughter, and weren’t properly stunned by electric shock in a pool of water before being killed.

Inspectors also criticized the containers used to transport live chickens, and stressed that Norwegian regulations demand better treatment. “Our concerns for animal welfare within  poultry production were unfortunately well-founded,” said Fjetland. “It’s the animal owners who are responsible for their animals. Inspections will continue to be a priority.”

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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Government minister Rigmor Aasrud was in New Delhi on Tuesday meeting representatives of Norwegian companies there, including (at left) Reidar Olsen of Kongsberg Norcontrol IT and Komal Kapoor of Ionnor/EDB/ErgoGroup. Aasrud also met with Telenor and her government counterpart. PHOTO: Regjeringen.no

Aasrud, Norway’s government minister in charge of administration and high-tech issues, was already heading for both India and Singapore on a planned official trip when news broke late last week that Telenor faced the loss of its licenses to conduct mobile telephone operations in India. Telenor has invested heavily in its Indian partner, Unitech, which has become mired in a corruption scandal that led to revocation of the licenses by India’s Supreme Court.

Aasrud’s trip is aimed at strengthening ties between Norway and both India and Singapore in information technology matters and public digital services. She took up Telenor’s trouble with her Indian counterpart Kapil Sibal at their meeting in the Indian capital.

“Kapil Sibal made it very clear that Telenor has been caught up in a situation where it’s not to blame,” Aasrud told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). “The Indian government authorities view Telenor as an important partner, and they hope their cooperation will hold out.”

Telenor’s joint venture firm with Unitech, Uninor, has lost 22 licenses for mobile phone operations for 36 million customers in India because Unitech is involved in the corruption scandal over how the licenses were originally issued. Telenor bought into Unitech because of the licenses it held, and now has felt forced to take write-downs of NOK 4.2 billion (USD 700 million) on its Unitech investment.

Aasrud also met with Telenor’s Asian director and leader of Uninor, Sigve Brekke, who also met with Kapil Sibal on Tuesday. Telenor officials called it “a good and informative meeeting where we presented our case.”

Aasrud said she’s glad they’ve established contact at the highest levels of Indian government. “Norway respects the verdict from the Supreme Court, but it is important for Norwegian companies to believe that it’s secure and stable to invest in India,” Aasrud told NRK. She thinks the Indian authorities welcome “constructive dialogue” to find “an acceptable solution.”

Telenor also may get some additional help from former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, who’s in India as well this week as part of her membership in The Elders, a prestigious group of retired government leaders. The Times of India reported that Brundtland was expected to take up Telenor’s trouble with the Indian officials she planned to meet. A spokesman for Brundtland told newspaper Aftenposten that it wasn’t correct that she’d been asked to discuss Telenor’s case, while Telenor declined to go into detail. A Telenor spokesman, though, said “the timing was good” for Brundtland’s visit to India.

Aasrud also planned meetings in Bangalore before traveling on to Singapore, where she’ll study the delivery of public services over the Internet, visit the technology and research institute A*Star and meet her government counterpart as well.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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Norway's currency, the "krone" (crown), remains strong against other currencies. To avoid confusion: The plural from of the krone is "kroner" in Norwegian, or "crowns," but many foreigners also use the Norwegian term. PHOTO: Views and News

Newspaper Aftenposten reported Tuesday that the Norwegian krone has gained 6 percent over the past two years, based on a central bank index measuring relative currency strength. The krone also rose in strength to a record level for the second year in a row last year, based on average exchange rates throughout 2011.

Never before has the krone been worth more in other countries’ currencies. While severe problems in the US and Europe have dramatically weakened the US dollar and the euro, for example, Norway’s strong oil-fueled economy has continued to boost its own currency.

Norges Bank, the country’s central bank, has kept interest rates low not least in an effort to control the strength of the krone. Results have been mixed, though, and Norwegian industrial firms and other exporters cringe over just how strong the krone is. It makes exchange rates highly unfavourable for foreign customers, which in turn causes pricing challenges for Norwegian exporters already faced with producing goods in a high-cost country while needing to stay internationally competitive. That’s why so much production has been moved out of Norway in recent years.

In the 1980s, there were times when one US dollar could buy as many as nine Norwegian kroner. This week a dollar was buying only around 5.8 kroner and exchange rates have been even better (or worse, depending on which currency a consumer is holding). Last year there were several occasions when a dollar only cost around NOK 5.2.

Norwegian shoppers save overseas
This week, a pair of shoes priced at USD 100 at a shop in Chicago, for example, only costs a visiting Norwegian shopper around NOK 580. That’s cheap by Norwegian standards. In London, where Norwegians often flock to shop, exchange rates can be even more favourable although prices can be higher than in the US. Aftenposten interviewed one Norwegian woman who’s just spent a week on holiday in London, shopping and dining out. She figured she and her husband had saved at least NOK 4,000 buying clothes and sports gear, compared to what they would have had to pay for the same goods at home.

The strong krone causes problems, though, for Norwegian residents who do business abroad and are paid in foreign currencies. A paycheck in British pounds or US dollars, for example, converts into far less kroner than it did just a few years ago, and Norway’s tourism industry risks being priced out of the market. Everyone from hotel operators to those offering package tours have felt pressured to lower their prices in order to attract foreign tourists. Many are stunned by the price of a dinner and drinks in Norway, and there have been calls for cutting Norway’s 25 percent VAT for restaurants and bars, in order to make dining out more competitive with other countries.

Several economists including Steinar Juel at Nordea Markets, note, though, that much of the reason for the strong currency is simply Norway’s strong economy. It makes Norway a “safe haven” for investors who see little risk that the value of the krone will fall. As economist Elisabeth Holvik at SpareBank1 Gruppen told Aftenposten: “In turbulent times, investors want to place their money in safe countries. When other countries have been downgraded, Norway has become more attractive. That raises demand for the krone and pushes up exchange rates. Norway also has generated strong revenues on a high oil price. That firms up Norway as having a solid economy and that the krone is a currency that will stay strong.”

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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Davud and Shawan Sadek Saeed Bujak, both of whom came to Norway as refugees, are the first to be convicted on charges of terrorist association in Norway. They were arrested in July 2010 and ultimately put on trial for planning terrorist attacks against the Danish newspaper Jyllandsposten and/or its artist Kurt Westergaard. The attacks allegedly were planned in response to the newspaper’s publication of Westergaard’s cartoons that many Muslims find offensive.

A third man now known as David Jakobsen was also charged in the case but acquitted of actually planning terrorist attacks. He was convicted, though, as an accomplice because he aided Davud in acquiring hydrogen peroxide that could be used to produce explosives.

Davud, formerly known as Muhammed Rashidin, is a Uighur from western China who came to Norway in 1999 and was granted Norwegian citizenship in 2007. Bujak is an Iraqi Kurd who also arrived in Norway in 1999 and later obtained permanent residence, while Jakobsen, formerly known as Abdulaif Alisjer, is originally from Uzbekistan and came to Norway as an asylum seeker in 2002.

Prosecutors in the case, which involved participation of terrorism investigators from the US, UK and other countries, had sought sentences of 11 years for Davud and five years for Bujak and Jakobsen. Their defense attorneys argued that all should be acquitted and Davud’s attorney, Carl Konow Reiber-Mohn, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) Monday morning that he’d be filing an appeal on behalf of Davud.

Another defense attorney, Arild Humlen, told NRK that Davud claims there’s no evidence he had any agreements, as alleged, with terrorist organization al-Qaida, nor did he have any pact with Bujak. Humlen also said the defendants don’t believe any terrorist acts were involved and that a seven-year jail term for Davud was too long.

“He believes the conviction is unfair, and is sorry he wasn’t believed, that his purchases (of potential explosives) were to be used against the Chinese Embassy in the fight for Uighur rights,” Humlen told NRK.

Bujak also decided to appeal, while Jakobsen has accepted his four-month term. All the defendants are receiving credit for time already spent in custody, which amounts to 606 days for Davud and Bujak and 132 days for Jakobsen.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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Confessed terrorist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik met the gaze of a large press corps on Monday, and state broadcaster NRK carried his brief court appearance live on national TV until the judge ordered cameras to be turned off. Breivik was seated between his defense attorneys Vibeke Hein Bæra (left) and Geir Lippestad. NRK's text notes how the court allowed photos until legal proceedings began. PHOTO: NRK / Views and News

It was the last custody hearing to be held before Breivik’s trial begins on April 16, and the first time media were allowed to photograph the man who bombed Norway’s government headquarters and then gunned down 69 persons at a Labour Party summer camp on July 22. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) was among those who carried live coverage from the Oslo City Court (Oslo Tingrett) despite strong protests from many survivors and victims’ families.

They don’t want Breivik to gain any publicity for what he’s called an effort to halt Norway’s emergence as a multi-cultural society. Breivik has never shown any regret for his murderous rampage, which left a total of 77 persons dead, and legal experts told NRK he appeared well-prepared for his 20 minutes in court.

He immediately raised his arms upon walking into the courtroom, showing his handcuffs in what some observers interpreted as a right-wing extremist greeting. Police escorts quickly steered him to his seat between defense attorneys Vibeka Hein Bæra and Geir Lippestad.

After the judge ordered cameras to be turned off, Breivik was given one minute to speak. NRK reported how he said he did not recognize the validity of the Norwegian legal system and thus demanded to be released.  He once again admitted carrying out the actual events that led to his arrest, but claims he shouldn’t be punished, because he was simply acting on orders from the organization of which he claims to be a commander. His mission, he said, was to carry out attacks on “traitors” who are allowing an “Islamic colonization” of Norway, specifically, as he sees it, the Labour Party.

He was simply launching a “preventive attack” to “protect the native population” of Norway, he said. His remarks came as the country marked the annual observance of Samifolkets dag on February 6, honoring Norway’s indigenous Sami people. It wasn’t clear whether that was the “native population” Breivik had in mind.

Some legal experts speculated that Breivik’s remarks are part of a legal defense strategy to uphold a determination by court-appointed psychiatrists that Breivik is insane. If he was sane, they reasoned, he’d recognize Norway’s legal system, while his other remarks highlighted what Lippestad long has called Breivik’s altered state of reality. Breivik will be allowed as much as a week during his trial to explain how and why he carried out the bombing and massacre on the island of Utøya on July 22.

The only relevant portion of his prepared remarks at Monday’s custody hearing was the demand to be released, because custody hearings are only meant to address the terms of his incarceration. Lippestad said he supported his client’s request for release, “but that’s his (Lippestad’s) job,” legal analyst Gunhild Lærum told NRK.

Breivik will instead continue to be held for at least 10 more weeks. His custody hearing lasted less than half an hour.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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Court officials cleared the way for cameras in the courtroom, before actual legal proceedings were to begin at 12:30pm, after Breivik himself said he’d allow himself to be photographed. That decision is left largely up to the defendant in Norway, and his willingness came as no surprise to those who long have feared Breivik seeks the media spotlight to further his extremist agenda.

Ongoing debate
Debate over both domestic and foreign media coverage of the July 22 terrorist attacks and Breivik in particular has been raging in Norway once again. Some want the media to simply ignore Breivik, including the head of the survivors’ national support group, Trond Henry Blattmann, who also objected to the publication of new photos taken of Breivik shortly after his arrest.

“I don’t like this at all, and the media should refrain from publishing photos (of Breivik),” Blattmann told newspaper Dagsavisen. “They’re pushing the limits all the time, under the guise this is in the public interest. I don’t think the public has any interest in seeing these photos.”

Blattmann’s group also doesn’t want Norwegian media to interview Breivik or publish content from any interviews conducted by foreign media. Breivik can now receive visitors in prison and is also willing to be interviewed, as long as various conditions are met. He has, for example, demanded to receive questions in advance and be able to pose and answer questions of his own. Interviews can be conducted in English, which Breivik’s defense attorney Geir Lippestad has said is his client’s “working language.”

Lippestad would prefer that Breivik say as little as possible and not be interviewed but that’s up to Breivik and prison authorities. The latter reportedly have already turned down one interview with a foreign journalist whom Breivik had approved, allegedly for security reasons.

Police questioning starts up again
Breivik has, meanwhile, agreed to resume cooperation with police and subject himself to more questioning this week. He continues to refuse, however, to meet with new court-appointed psychiatrists assigned to evaluate his mental state and has appealed their appointment to the Supreme Court. The new psychiatrists were appointed after massive public criticism of two other psychiatrists’ determination that Breivik is insane and thus unable to serve time in prison.

Norwegian media, which often operate under different and arguably stricter guidelines than international media, face a dilemma over their coverage of their country’s worst mass murderer ever. Not a single Norwegian media outlet has confirmed interest in interviewing Breivik, out of consideration for his victims, although many are believed to be interested. Even top media officials and commentators have urged restraint and caution in conducting or publishing any interviews with Breivik, among them Per Edgar Kokkvold, secretary general of the national press association Presseforbundet.

Others claim journalists must be allowed to do their job, and that includes documenting and recording developments in a case that left 77 persons dead and caused massive destruction of public property. “News and journalism is all about documenting events,” said Per Arne Kalbakk, program director at NRK. He said NRK is “aware it can be difficult for many (to see photos of Breivik)” but said NRK has contacted (survivors’) attorneys prior to publication.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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Witnesses said Crown Princess Mette-Marit appeared "stressed" after their SAS flight had to abort take-off, but she managed to "tweet" about the experience not long after. PHOTO: Screen grab/twitter.com

Passengers told Norwegian media that the drama began as SAS flight #1462 started rolling down the runway at Copenhagen’s international airport after undergoing a de-icing procedure. As the aircraft gained speed, passengers heard a loud blast from one of the engines and the cabin filled with a strong smell of smoke.

“We were just about to take off when we heard this loud explosion,” passenger Tone Helmersen told VG Nett. “The plane shook hard and the engine stopped. There was a lot of smoke, then the power went out and the plane stopped sideways on the runway.”

Both Helmersen and other passengers reported that “a bit of panic” broke out and “people started getting up, suddenly a flight attendant announced we all had to get out.”

The emergency exits opened, the evacuation chutes inflated and passengers were ordered to leave their carry-on bags and slide down, out and away from the aircraft. At that point, Helmersen said she wasn’t aware the royal couple was also on board and ordered to evacuate.

She and others soon found themselves mingling with Mette-Marit and Haakon on the tarmac, though, while they waited for a bus to take them to the terminal. Another passenger, Knut Marius Sture, said SAS crews took care of everyone on an equal basis and the royal couple didn’t get any special royal treatment.

“They stood there on the tarmac along with the rest of us,” Sture told NRK. Helmersen said Crown Prince Haakon tried to keep people’s spirits up, smiling and even making a few jokes. “Mette-Marit seemed much more stressed,” Helmersen later told NRK.

The crown princess is known for suffering from a fear of flying and has tried to tackle it over the years through, among other things, counseling and special escorts on board. She managed to send out a message on the social media site she recently started using, Twitter, not long after the dramatic incident Sunday morning.

“Ok, my morning turned out a bit more exciting than expected.. Phew.. #still not entirely over flightphobia,” wrote Crown Princess Mette-Marit in English on Twitter.

She later wrote a new message, this time in Norwegian, extending “warm thanks” to the SAS crew “who took good care of all the passengers.” She called the SAS crew members “people who make you feel safe.”

The couple recently attended the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland, and had been in Copenhagen over the weekend, according to a palace spokesman, to celebrate Danish Crown Prince Mary’s 40th birthday. They were heading home to Oslo on the early Sunday morning flight.

SAS officials claimed that passengers were never in any real danger but the pilot chose to evacuate the aircraft. “There was smoke in the cabin as a result of an engine breakdown,” said Monica Hovland of SAS. “It’s too early to say what caused the problem with the engine. It will be investigated. We chose to evacuate and the passengers will be taken care of by our personnel, they can also speak with the captain and with psychologists.”

Hovland acknowledged that some passengers clearly felt the situation was “very dramatic” while others were more calm. All were being transferred to other flights later in the day.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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Telenor chief executive on stage at the launch of its venture in India, Uninor, in 2009. Now Telenor is facing the loss of its licenses to do business in the huge country. PHOTO: Telenor

Opposition politicians claim Telenor’s investment in India may turn out to be one of the biggest scandals any Norwegian company has been involved in abroad. On Friday, the company announced it was taking a stunning NOK 4.2 billion in write-downs tied to its joint venture company Uninor, formed through its purchase of a 60 percent stake in Indian firm Unitech Wireless four years ago.

Since then, Telenor’s effort to profit on tens of millions of new mobile phone customers has met ongoing static. The company had a hard time securing the market share it sought. Then, just a year after the formation of Uninor in 2009, Telenor’s Indian partner Unitech became a target of corruption charges that came to a head last week when India’s supreme court withdrew the licenses initially granted to Unitech that allow Uninor to do business.

That means Telenor /Uninor may need to go through a new bidding round in order to keep their roughly 36 million customers, at huge cost. “The situation is extremely unclear for Telenor,” telecoms analyst Tore Tønseth told news bureau NTB.

Telenor officials have asked for help from the same government minister, Trond Giske, with whom they landed in conflict just a few weeks ago over the sale of TV2. Telenor chairman Harald Norvik reportedly has also admitted that Telenor was aware of corruption allegations against its Indian partner back in 2008.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg already wrote to his Indian counterpart last year, asking that Telenor be treated fairly as the corruption case moved forward. Now India’s highest court has ruled against Telenor/Uninor and a host of other companies, part of an anti-corruption campaign that Norwegian officials would be hard-pressed to criticize.

A wide range of commentators and opposition politicians are calling on Norway’s Labour-led government coalition to be very careful about helping Telenor when corruption is involved. They claim Telenor must have known it was taking a huge risk investing so heavily in India, and now must pay the price. Officials of both the Conservative Party and the Progress Party are calling for an investigation into just what Telenor knew about how Unitech acquired its licenses, and what Telenor has told its biggest owner, the state in the form of Giske.

Newspaper Aftenposten reported over the weekend that both Norvik, who has long ties to Labour, and Telenor chief executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas will likely hang on to their jobs since the company “needs some peace” to tackle the trouble in India. Baksaas has also survived other major problems after his expansive moves into Russia, Bangladesh and Hungary.

What’s most important now, say analysts and government officials, is to secure Telenor assets in India and cut losses. Giske told newspaper Dagsavisen that the Norwegian government has great respect for the Indian court system and won’t get involved in the legal withdrawal of the licenses “at all.” Telenor must deal with the consequences of the court ruling. Giske noted, however, that since Telenor has invested billions in the Indian market, the government may involve itself in the political aspects of a new licensing round.

Giske told TV2 that the state’s confidence in Telenor’s management and board of directors, meanwhile, will be evaluated “after things have settled down.”

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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The arenas around Holmenkollen in Oslo will be pressed into service once again this week for the IBU World Cup Biathlon, one year after the Nordic skiing world championships. PHOTO: Ski VM / Tore Afdal

The biathlon (called skiskyting in Norwegian) World Cup at Holmenkollen (external link) was attracting the world’s elite in the sport that combines cross-country skiing and shooting. Norwegians have long ranked among the top biathlon athletes and organizers were hoping for another folkefest (people’s party) on the site of last year’s Nordic skiing world championships.

Events were to kick off with men’s and women’s sprint events on Thursday, pursuit events on Saturday and the mass start for both men and women on Sunday. Among the local heroes are biathlon stars and Olympic medalists like Ole Einar Bjørndalen and Tora Berger, plus Tarjei Bø, Ann Kristin Aafedt Flatland and Emil Hegle Svendsen.

Next week, the world’s top snowboarders will all but take over Oslo Winterpark at Tryvann, in the hills just behind Holmenkollen and sloping down to the valley known as Sørkedalen. New snowboarding facilities at  the Winterpark’s Wyller Multiarena will host competition in a variety of events including slopestyle, halfpipe and quarterpipe. Around 240 riders from 30 countries were expected to take part and among the favorites are some Norwegians including Gjermund Bråten and Torstein Horgmo.

Then comes more snowboarding action at nearby Oslo Winterpark, site of the World Snowboarding Championships from Feb 10-19. PHOTO: Oslo Winterpark/WSC 2012/Eleonora Raggi

Cecilia Flatum, as president of the Norwegian Snowboard Association, has said that Oslo’s appointment as host city for the first World Snowboarding Championships (external link) run by snowboarders since 1999 was “a great vote of confidence to the Norwegian snowboard community.” As of mid-January, though, the event still hadn’t lined up a main sponsor in a market organizers described as “tough.”

Henning Andersen, chief of the world championship event that’s due to run from February 10-19, told newspaper Aftenposten recently that sponsors were committed “at lower levels” and that there’d been interest from potential main sponsors, “but they say they just don’t have the money.”

Others in the sponsor business suggested the price sought by the snowboarding event may have been too high. “The sponsor market hasn’t dried up, but many sponsors may think this is too expensive,” Jacob Lund, the former sponsor chief for Norway’s biggest bank, DNB, told Aftenposten. “The potential for profiling themselves is relatively limited and the snowboarders have many private sponsors. You’d have to dominate the arenas to get something for your money. When you don’t have a sponsor, it’s generally because the price is too high.”

The budget for the championships is around NOK 37 million, backed by the City of Oslo which has put up a guarantee of NOK 28 million. Andersen downplayed financial concerns, and organizers noted that the Norwegians have “a great deal of experience” in arranging such events including The Arctic Challenge.

Olympic efforts
Meanwhile, Norwegian sports bureaucrats and many local officials keep working on efforts to arrange another Winter Olympics in Norway, specifically in the Oslo area, but concerns also keep rising about the costs and whether the huge investment needed is worth it. Other non-winter sports may also suffer.

The head of the Norwegian athletics association won approval last fall to take the Olympic cause further to both the government and the City of Oslo. The politicians’ response till determine whether the process will continue towards seeking the Winter Olympics for 2022. The deadline for applying to the International Olympic Committee is in October 2013.

Organizers will need a state guarantee of as much as NOK 30 million (USD 5 billion) plus support from other sports branches. “Everyone loves a party, but someone has to pay,” Per Rune Eknes, president of the Norwegian swimming association, told Aftenposten. At a time when many local governments can’t afford to keep local pools filled with water and operating, he worries funding will dry up even more for other sports.

Less than half of Norwegians questioned in a recent public opinion poll supported a new Olympics, while 27 percent were opposed. The rest were unsure. And now Lillehammer, site of the successful Winter Olympics in 1994, is worrying about how to fund maintenance of all the facilities built for that event. The fund to finance costs and operations after their initial use 20 years ago is almost empty, and Lillehammer Mayor Espen Granberg Johnsen thinks it’s “unreasonable” for the local government to wind up with responsibility.

Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund

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