EMILY KWONG, BYLINE: At the Winter Olympics, there is one country that has long been top dog, and that is Norway, whose medal winners this year include cross country superstar Johannes Klaebo, the first athlete in history to win six gold medals at the Winter Games, and Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, whose biathlon race earned Norway its 17th gold medal this Olympics, a record previously held by - you guessed it - Norway.
So to discuss Olympic dominance from the land of the midnight sun, we're joined by Sara Sivertsen Fahrendorff, a sports journalist based in Oslo who's been covering the games for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Thank you so much for being here.
SARA SIVERTSEN FAHRENDORFF: Thank you so much for inviting me.
KWONG: Well, congratulations on your country's success these games.
FAHRENDORFF: (Laughter) Thank you so much.
KWONG: What has the reaction been like in Oslo?
FAHRENDORFF: I think that we are kind of spoiled with gold medals when it comes to winter sports, but when it's this big, when it's the Olympics...
KWONG: Yeah.
FAHRENDORFF: We're, of course, super impressed, and everyone talks about it. Everyone talks about especially - you mentioned it - Klaebo. Even though we're used to them winning, it's definitely the talk of the town.
KWONG: Where do people watch the games? Is it in bars, pubs, at home? What's the energy?
FAHRENDORFF: You know, Norwegians - we really like our homes, and we like to watch sports at homes under this...
KWONG: Cozy.
FAHRENDORFF: ...Warm blanket and with the fireplace and the coffee cup. So...
KWONG: Yes.
FAHRENDORFF: I think most Norwegians - we watch the Olympics from home, but I have definitely also seen sports bars where people have been watching sports together.
KWONG: What a pleasant way to spend the winter. So what is the secret? Why is Norway so dominant in the Winter Olympics? Can you name some reasons?
FAHRENDORFF: Yes, I think that the most obvious one is the geography and the culture. Of course, the accessibility with snow and mountains are easily accessible, but they're also easily accessible to a large portion of the population. So it's not only out in the villages where we have snow. We also have snow close to the big cities like Oslo and Trondheim.
And, of course, the culture - there's a big culture for doing winter sports. We also have this saying in Norway, (speaking Norwegian), which means, all Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. And it's actually just not a cliche, something we say. It's more like a truth. And maybe most important is that we have a tradition for not competing when the children are too young.
KWONG: Oh, really?
FAHRENDORFF: Yeah. So instead of the focus being as best as possible when they're young, the focus is joy and mastery. So before they're 13-years-old, there actually are no rankings.
KWONG: Wow.
FAHRENDORFF: Yeah. And I think by keeping as many children as possible active for as long as possible, the recruitment pool also remains bigger than what it would without the focus being, you know, fun. So a lot of Norwegian children participate in organized sports at some point. And we have this saying, most children for as long as possible. And that's a huge part, I think.
KWONG: What is that saying in Norwegian?
FAHRENDORFF: It's (speaking Norwegian).
KWONG: That honestly sounds very refreshing, especially when there's been so much conversation about mental health at these Winter Games. You talk about the joy bein/g a big part of the performance. We've seen that over and over again with athletes from across the world.
FAHRENDORFF: Yes, definitely. And I think that's maybe what's different with Norway.
KWONG: Sara, as these Winter Games wrap up, what is the Norwegian way to celebrate a sporting success? What do you all do when victory happens?
FAHRENDORFF: I think that we all were inspired, and we also - we put our skis on, and then we go out in the woods.
(LAUGHTER)
KWONG: So you celebrate sports with more sports.
FAHRENDORFF: I think that we actually do.
KWONG: So are you going to get out on the slopes at all?
FAHRENDORFF: I will. Next weekend, it's my turn. I have been working during the whole Olympics, so next week, I'm off, and then I will put my skis on as well.
KWONG: How do you say, have fun, in Norwegian or, like, have a good time?
FAHRENDORFF: (Speaking Norwegian).
KWONG: (Speaking Norwegian).
FAHRENDORFF: Yeah.
KWONG: This is Sara Sivertsen Fahrendorff, a sports journalist based in Oslo. Thank you so much for talking to us.
FAHRENDORFF: Thank you for talking to me. Had a good time. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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