Norway's Dominance at the Winter Olympics Has a Lot to Do With Youth Sports—And It's the Opposite of America

Here's what we can learn from a Winter Olympics powerhouse

Norway consistently wins the most medals at the Winter Olympic Games, with a population of just 5.6 million people. They currently have the most medals in Milano-Cortina. They won the most medals in 2022. They won the most medals in 2018.

(And before you say, it’s just because Norway is a snow wonderland, let me remind you that Norway also wins three-times the medals as the US per capita at the Summer Olympics too.)

A big part of their success is how they treat youth sports—and it’s the opposite of what we do in the US.

Here’s what we can learn from Norway:

1. Scorekeeping

In the US: Youth sports tend to be hyper competitive even at early ages. Leagues almost always keep score.

In Norway: Scorekeeping isn’t even allowed until age 13.

Removing winners and losers keeps the focus on the process not outcomes. It keeps kids engaged longer because it minimizes pressure (and tears) and maximizes fun, learning, and growth. The goal isn’t to win a third grade championship. It’s to love sport and keep playing.

2. Trophies

In the US: If you give everyone a trophy, you’re feeding into a culture of snowflakes who will never gain a competitive edge.

In Norway: Whenever trophies are awarded, they are handed out to everyone.

If getting a trophy makes young kids feel good, we should give them trophies. Maybe they’ll come back and play again next year!! As for developing the next generation of snowflakes with no competitive edge—Norway’s athletes are tough as nails, and they keep winning.

3. Prioritizing Fun

In the US: Far too often, the goal is to win.

In Norway: The national philosophy is “joy of sport.”

Youth sports in the US are driven by adults, ego, and money. Youth sports in Norway are driven by fun. Only half of kids in the US participate in sports. The number one reason they drop out: because they aren’t having fun anymore. In Norway, 93% of kids participate in youth sports. Fun is the foremost goal.

4. Playing Multiple Sports

In the US: There’s pressure to specialize early and play your best sport year round.

In Norway: Try as many sports as you can before specializing as late as college.

Norway encourages kids to try all types of sport. This reduces injury and burnout and increases all-around athleticism. It also helps promotes match quality, or finding the sport you are best suited for as your body develops, which is impossible if you commit to a single sport too early.

5. Affordability

In US: There is increasingly a pay-to-play model with high fees for leagues, equipment, and travel. This excludes many kids from playing.

In Norway: It’s a national priority to keep youth sports affordable and therefore accessible for all.

Kids aren’t priced out, which creates opportunities for everyone to participate (and develop into athletes), regardless of their parents’ income level.

We Could Learn a lot From Norway

In the US, youth sports in the US has become a mess, with angry parents, outsized egos, and astronomical costs keeping kids from sticking with it long enough to see what they could become. Seventy percent of kids drop out of by age 13. This not only diminishes the pipeline of elite athletes, but it also creates a hindrance for healthy habits and all the character lessons kids can learn from sport.

In Norway, lifelong participation in sport is the norm. The goal isn’t to have the best 9-U team. It’s to develop the best athletes. Those are two very different things. And Norway has the gold medals to prove it.

While the United Sates may never have the exact same model as Norway, we can certainly move closer to it, and adopt its spirit.

Parts of this post were excerpted from my new book, The Way of Excellence. It’s a New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller. If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love the book. Get your copy now: Amazon, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble.