Norway does it right, again

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Norway topped the medal count with the most medals (41) and their  gold medals (18) were the most by a country in Winter Olympics history. The United States claimed the second most total medals (33) along with the second-most gold medals (12).

Norway’s dominance is nothing new despite the small population (5.7m vs USA with 342m). They did the same at the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, which drew attention to their methodology.

Scuttlebutt shared a report in 2019 about how Norway de-emphasized competition at an early age, and another in 2022 in which Norway focused on fun, whereas youth sports in the USA were driven by egos and money.

Here’s an excerpt from a CNN report following the 2026 Games:
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Until the age of 12 in Norway, nobody in youth sports is allowed to keep score, and there are no league standings either. As a result, there is far less destructive pressure and no reason to specialize too soon, and young athletes are encouraged to try out multiple sports.

“I find that many of the big sporting systems are more occupied with getting rid of people at the young age than develop many,” explained Tore Øvebrø, Norway’s director of elite sport.
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I was walking my dog in mid-February when I saw two youth C420s enter San Diego Bay, each followed by a coach boat. My generation never had coaching outside of summer, and today kids can’t seem to sail without them. Progress?