Lillehammer – the “White-Green” Games that transformed Norwegian sport

The event was hailed as the first “green” Games for its thoughtful approach to construction, while the outstanding successes of the home nation’s athletes – backed up by new training establishments such as the Norwegian College of Elite Sport and the Norwegian Centre for Elite Sports (“Olympiatoppen”) – turned Norway into a Winter Games powerhouse.

Smart use of structures such as the International Broadcast Centre and the Lillehammer Olympiapark, meanwhile, allowed the region to expand hugely as a hub for education, sporting excellence and training.

The “White-Green Games”

Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC President at the time, dubbed Lillehammer 1994 the “White-Green Games” thanks to their new environmental measures.

Venues were constructed with sensitivity to nature in mind – and the project as a whole increased the environmental awareness of the Norwegian population.

All the venues in the Lillehammer Olympiapark – the Birkebeineren Ski and Biathlon Stadium, Lysgårdsbakkene Ski Jumping Arena, Håkons Hall, the Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track, as well as the Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall and the concert hall at Maihaugen, are today certified with Norway’s most widely used environmental management system , called the Eco-Lighthouse, which shows that they remain at the forefront of sustainability efforts and operate in an environmentally friendly way.

The Lillehammer 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games continued this legacy, too, by re-using 9 of the ten competition venues from 1994. The YOG also focused on sustainability, with much of what was learned in 1994 being applied to 2016. The YOG Learn and Share Programme, meanwhile, focused on cultural understanding, education and sports for young people, which helped the region and Norwegian sport to educate a new generation of sports leaders.

Inspiring the next generation of international athletes

Lillehammer 1994 was an extraordinary success for Norway – Norwegian athletes won 26 medals and triggered a period of dominance in winter sports that continued through to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, where they won 39 medals, a record for any country. Both these results represent a massive increase compared with the five medals – none of them gold – won by Norwegian athletes at the 1988 Games.

This was largely achieved through the establishment of the Norwegian College of Elite Sport (NTG) - Norway’s “gold medal factory”, and of the Norwegian Centre for Elite Sports (Olympiatoppen), made possible by the hosting of the Olympic Winter Games, and through the inspiration generated by 1994’s homegrown heroes.

The Lillehammer Olympic Legacy Sports Centre (LOLSC) continues that work to this day, helping to train and motivate athletes, coaches and sports leaders nationally, regionally and internationally. In 2019, more than 400 young talents from 25 countries attended international training camps in Lillehammer run by the LOLSC.

Innland Norway University growth

The construction of the huge International Broadcast Centre (IBC) next to Oppland College in Storhove meant that the Innland Norway University could grow after the Games.

Equipped with a brand-new 27,000-square metre facility, the number of enrolled students leapt from 600 pre-Games to around 6,000 in 2020.

Expansion meant innovation, too. New courses such as sports management and audiovisual production were offered, and in 1997 the college began to offer Norway's first college-level film studies. Lillehammer is now a thriving student town, with those in higher education making up nearly 20 per cent of the city’s current population of 27,000.

All venues still in use

Lillehammer 1994 is free of “white elephants”. All 10 of the new venues for 1994 remain in active use today. Between the opening of the Games and the summer of 2018, the venues staged 32 World and European Championships or international tournaments, 129 World Cup events and 161 National Cups.

Nine of the 10 competition venues from 1994 were re-used when the Olympic flame returned to Lillehammer for the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2016. This helped the region to remain a major location on the international calendar, and also contributed to a vibrant grassroots sports culture.

From the ski jump to the ice hockey halls, the cross-country tracks to the sliding centre, Lillehammer’s facilities are in constant use – and have been a fertile breeding ground for future national and Olympic champions across multiple sports.