Secret to Norway’s Olympic success and Jamaica’s ‘Cool Runnings’ past

Norway’s remarkable consistency at the Winter Olympics stems from a decades‑old culture that puts children’s happiness, equal access to sport and shared expertise ahead of fast results, the country’s head of delegation, Tore Oevreboe, said.

As of 16 February, Norway led the table with 27 medals, including 12 golds, ahead of hosts Italy. The Scandinavian nation has consistently led medals since the 2014 Games in Sochi and scored well in previous Olympics too.

“We know that we have to succeed in every event we participate in. But we try to stay very relaxed and humble... and we very much respect our competitors,” Oevreboe said, stressing that Norway does not take success for granted.

Oevreboe said Norway’s advantage begins far from elite facilities and medal targets. “It’s not so easy to say what is the secret. It has to do with the way we organise our society,” he said.

“We distribute the wealth... so it’s possible for kids to participate in sports and for the parents to help them. People work eight hours a day and then they have quite a few hours to be with their kids doing sports.”

Focus on enjoyment, not early performance

Norway’s model, Oevreboe explained, is designed to keep children in sport by protecting their enjoyment rather than pressuring them to win. “We try not to focus on winning too early,” he said.

Children are encouraged to play many sports, develop broad physical and social skills and avoid early ranking.

“We should not create losers. We should create young small winners… The winning part is to be part of the sport and have joy.

“The point of doing sport in Norway is to lead a good life. So, you start young and learn motor skills, social skills, and then you learn how to use your body in a physical setting.”

Oevreboe added that Norway’s success is reinforced by a collegial sports system built on collaboration among coaches and federations that has shaped the elite sports system since 1988.

“We share knowledge because we are not big enough to stay in silos,” he said. “The people who really have knowledge… know each other, or they learn to know each other because (the country) it’s so small.”

Even in expensive winter sports, Oevreboe said Norway tries to make participation possible for all families. “We have a huge used equipment market,” he said. “Lots of the athletes that come up here that are quite good, they have [had] used equipment during their younger years.”

Looking ahead to the remainder of the Games, Oevreboe confirmed that Norway had set a target of 35 medals.

“We want to communicate that we believe in our athletes... but the athlete should not be too worried about this.”

Oevreboe said the same philosophy extends even when top talents choose to leave the Norwegian system, as skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen did before switching to Brazil.

“If he is happier competing for Brazil, he should choose Brazil,” he said. “We will never stop anyone.”

Make your own name

Meanwhile Chris Stokes, a founding member of Jamaica’s original “Cool Runnings” bobsleigh crew, recalls being mobbed by fans at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics the moment he put on the team jacket and left the athletes’ village to go into town.

“That’s a rookie mistake which I made,” he recalls 38 years later, the buzz still echoing as the current quartet compete at the Milano Cortina Games.

“Even now, yesterday, when I came back from the track with the team in the van and they just opened the door to let me out, people saw Jamaica bobsleigh and we were absolutely mobbed,” Stokes said.

“I myself go down the street in a plain black jacket. You want to be respectful of your fans and people who support the programme, but you wouldn’t get anywhere. You wouldn’t get to the corner store to buy a coffee.”

Motivational message

The 2026 team were soon surrounded when they ventured recently into the chic Dolomites resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Stokes, now 62 and president of the Jamaica Bobsleigh Federation, saw in it a motivational message.

“My 1994 team finished 14th at the Olympic Games. And until a team finishes higher than that at the Olympic Games, that team is the best Jamaican bobsled team ever. I’ve said this to the guys,” he continued.

“I’ve also said to them, ‘Don’t confuse yourselves. When you step out of the car and somebody’s asking you for an autograph, it’s because of something I and my teammates did. That’s nothing that you have done’.

“My challenge to them is, by the end of these games, by the time you step on the track in 2030 in La Plagne (France) and in Salt Lake City in 2034, let people, fans, be crowding you because of something you did. That’s my challenge to them.”

Immortalised by ‘Cool Runnings’

The 1988 Jamaican bob, with Stokes joining his brother Dudley along with Devon Harris and Michael White, was immortalised in the 1993 movie Cool Runnings, also the name of the sled.

Jamaica were classified last in 1988.

By 1994 they had moved up to the top half of the 30 entrants, beating the US and Italy, among others.

“Led by my brother, it took Jamaica Bobsleigh a long time to learn. Six, seven, eight years to learn that... it’s not just athleticism, it’s discipline and focus, being present, playing your role. These guys (the current team) understand this from day one,” said Stokes.

“We also have the benefit now of (coach) Todd Hays, who is himself a silver medallist and who has coached multiple medal winners for both the US and Canada, who at one time coached Russia and who brings to the table a crystal-clear understanding of what it takes to win.

“Todd says to me all the time, ‘we know what we need to do to win. We know that already, so it’s just a matter of putting the pieces in place’.” Reuters/DM