The opening of the Winter Olympics is nearing the end, and it is not the United States and Russia that have long topped the gold medal and medal table, but the small nordic country - Norway.
On 16 February, Norway won 12 gold medals, for a total of 26. There were 6 gold medals on the mainland, for a total of 12.
The number of Norwegian gold medals doubled from that of the mainland, with a total of more than 2 times. This is already the best result of the Continental Winter Olympics, with major breakthroughs in snow sports, winning 3 gold medals, and the rest are short track speed skating and other ice sports.
Why is the small Nordic country with a total population of just over 5 million people in the Winter Olympics so powerful?
1. The national movement has a long history and a high penetration rate
Skiing is a national sport in Norway, like table tennis in our country, the road is unstable and you start skiing.
Norway has a total population of more than 5 million, and there are 18 cities with a Chinese population of more than 10 million.
From childhood and adolescence to youth, middle age and old age, people of all ages enjoy the snow and ice of winter in Norway. The people of the country have integrated winter sports into their lives, with a large base and the best of the best.
In the mountains of northern Norway, an ancient "skiing" petroglyph, dating back more than 4,000 years, depicts a long sleigh on which nearly a hundred people sit on a ski.
Many ice and snow projects on the mainland are still in their infancy, with incomplete infrastructure, relatively late start-ups and few talents.
In 2002, Yang Yang won China's first short track speed skating Winter Olympic gold medal, which has developed to exactly 20 years. In 1984, Xu Haifeng won The first Summer Olympic gold medal for China, nearly 40 years later. The first gold medal is 18 years apart.
In Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, Yang Yang, Wang Meng, Liu Qiuhong, and Fan Kexin all came out of here. It's a place that boasts the cradle of short track speed skating champions, with the first indoor ice rink in 2013, when athletes practiced with coaches pouring ice themselves.
2. Polar countries, the temperature is suitable, unique
Norway is one of the nordic polar countries, and ice and snow sports are unique. The five Nordic countries, as well as Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden ice and snow sports are also very strong, the gold medal list is second only to the mainland, the total number of medals is the same as the continent.
There are only three best places in the world for snow sports: North America, Northern Europe, and near the Alps. The snow is thick and the temperature is high during the snow season. The real winter in our country is cold enough and long enough, and there is still a lot of snow, that is, the northeast and parts of Xinjiang. Xinjiang is also sparsely populated, which restricts the development and popularization of ice and snow sports, and has strong regional restrictions on participation and selection, and the degree of popularization is limited. Moreover, the snow fields on the mainland are hard, the temperature is low, and it is easy to be injured.
In the Nordic countries, there is snow all year round in winter, and the whole country of Norway is a large snow field.
Winter is relatively long, autumn, winter and spring have snow, every year from October to February, the whole country is covered with snow, although it is a high-latitude country, but the west is the North Atlantic, and there is the Baltic Sea, affected by the ocean, winter and summer cool, the temperature is mostly between -5 °C ~ 1 °C, ice and snow are rich but not bitter cold.
It is said that Norway goes out in winter and wants to kill such a "snow" road ~ ~~
3. Skiing tradition, skiing is an innate skill
Can't ski just like our country doesn't ride a bike
In the 23rd Winter Olympics, Norway topped the medal table eight times. Not at the top of the list, the ranking is also far ahead.
As everyone jokes, the Winter Olympics is the host country setting up a stage for Norway to sing.
Norwegian cross-country skiing won the first gold medal at the Beijing Winter Olympics
Norway's "Snow King" also stems from a long ski tradition.
In the past, skiing was a mode of transportation for Norwegians, like cycling in our country, which in ancient times required skiing, hunting skiing, and later slowly developed into a sport.
The word ski is also from The Norwegian word, and ski jumping and cross-country skiing originated in Norway. In Norway, "skiing is a natural skill", there are many ski schools in Norway that teach skiing skills to people of different ages, in Norway, almost everyone can ski, and the popularity of sports is quite high.
Norway has more than 5 million people and 2,500 ski resorts, while the mainland has more than 700 ski resorts.
In fact, to this day, more than 98% of the people around them have not had the opportunity to enter the ski resort, and even most people in the south have not seen the snow, and have not seen the snow flying.
Everyone has also heard (seen) that almost all the Winter Olympic players in mainland China have a Northeastern accent. Some people joke that the official language of the Beijing Winter Olympics is Northeast Chinese.
Norway took the strength of the whole country to participate in the Winter Olympics, and the mainland took the strength of the whole northeast to participate in the Winter Olympics.
4. The economy is highly developed, the population is small, the resources are large, there is money and leisure, and the freedom to chase dreams
Ice and snow projects are really more expensive than one, the investment is huge, and the threshold is too high. Sports venues, equipment, and hardware requirements in all aspects are relatively high.
Winter projects are very money-burning, proper "noble sports". Special snow projects, put into the "upper not cap".
Referring to Gu Ailing, in the process of cultivating Gu Ailing, his mother Gu Yan revealed that she spent at least 1 million US dollars or even more than 10 million yuan.
Winter projects, at least the equipment is not cheap, the equipment needs more financial support, a set of curling 30w, an ice car 10w, a snowmobile unit price of 200w... Far beyond the ability of ordinary families on the mainland to bear, such investment, the average person can not afford to play, interested in the existence of economic pressure, the wealthy family is not necessarily interested.
Professional skiing also requires professional equipment such as ski clothes, snowboards, snowshoes, helmets, etc. Competitive snowboards are not only expensive, but also require regular professional maintenance, polishing, waxing, etc. The Nordic countries have high welfare, small populations, large resources, rich oil, natural gas, and geothermal resources, citizens' education level, scientific and technological level, government efficiency and integrity are very high, the people live and work in peace, less pressure, and the people can enjoy ice and snow sports more.
Norway's national economy is highly developed, and it is a big oil country, as well as rich iron ore, coal mines and other resources, driven by the oil industry, Norway's economic development level is second to none in the world, with a per capita GDP of up to 100,000 US dollars.
Norway has been ranked first in the Global Human Development Index for consecutive years.
Norwegian people watch ski races
The Norwegian government has created a high-welfare, well-paid living environment for its citizens. From birth to age 16, there is a maintenance allowance of several hundred dollars per month, and the child is basically raised by the government.
In such an environment, people have more time and money at their disposal, which brings favorable conditions for them to develop sports. Citizens have little pressure, high social welfare, sufficient financial support, the government also supports athletes to train and compete, so that they can produce better results, Norwegians can freely chase their dreams.
When athletes choose to develop in the sports world, they will also receive funding from relevant organizations, which can help athletes create better results.
Norwegian snow sports have long been no longer a simple sport, it has become an important part of daily life, and Norway's developed economy and strong ski culture have laid a solid foundation for their rise in the Winter Olympics.
If China wants to make greater breakthroughs in the Winter Olympics, it also needs to continuously grow its national strength, strengthen the mass base, increase the probability of talent emergence, and form a virtuous circle of competitive sports industry.
I wish chinese athletes to break through obstacles, challenge themselves and win the crown!