Young people celebrate winter sports party: drinking crash at Holmenkollen

Enlarge image

Spectators at Holmenkollen: “It’s a difficult balance here”

Photo:

Javad Parsa / NTB / IMAGO

Holmenkollen in Oslo is sacred to winter sports fans.

The Norwegian town is considered a mecca for cross-country skiers and jumpers; there have been winter sports events there since 1892.

But it is also considered a place for celebrations, where high-performance sport on the cross-country ski trail is combined with partying and alcohol consumption.

That's why there was no shortage of appeals in advance.

The event's managing director, Stefan Marx, felt compelled to make an appeal to visitors: "Help us keep Marka clean and safe!" he wrote in the Norwegian newspaper "Aftenposten" - and already asked for donations for the cause cleaning the party areas.

Combination of high blood alcohol and low temperatures

The Oslo police wrote on Facebook: "We hope that this year's Holmenkollen ski festival will be a real celebration for everyone and not a drunken party for anyone." The police are aware "that large youth parties are planned.

We therefore urge parents to be attentive and talk to their young people before they leave the house.

And Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe also voiced her concerns: She feared that the combination of high blood alcohol levels, low temperatures and long days could be dangerous for young people.

But it didn't help, many young visitors didn't believe the warnings.

The ski party at Holmenkollen, where cross-country skiing races and Nordic combined competitions took place at the weekend, turned into a frenzy on Saturday.

According to the newspaper Dagbladet, many people started drinking as early as six in the morning.

At eleven o'clock the police sent the first drunks away; a total of 45 to 50 people were expelled from the complex.

According to the newspaper Verdens Gang, there were no arrests.

"We break into one fight after another," operations manager Marita Aune told the Norwegian news agency NTB.

Kristoffer Bang, the head of the task force, spoke in "Aftenposten" of a "high level of intoxication and many fights."

130 people need to be looked after

Reporters observed wild scenes: minors falling in the snow, tumbling, fighting.

130 people between the ages of 16 and 20 had to be cared for during the day, seven were taken to the emergency room, said the head of the Red Cross guard, Anders Oustorp "Aftenposten".

Many young people had to be picked up by their parents.

However, he also praised the celebrants: "The young people were incredibly good at helping each other."

Many runners in the 50 kilometer race, in which the German Katharina Hennig came third, welcomed the lively atmosphere at the side of the route and did not notice much of the riots.

However, some complained.

“It smelled of alcohol and something sweet on the track,” said the Swede Moa Lundgren to the newspaper “Expressen”.

Ebba Andersson, also from Sweden, said: "Something like that doesn't belong in a sports arena."

The Swedish Sports Journalist of the Year 2022, Patrik Brenning, reported cocaine consumption near the track, several fights that the police had to break up, flying wine bottles and wild peeing.

"You understand that there are drugs at a party, but the fact that it was so open next to a ski competition - a symbol of public health, camaraderie and good values ​​- made for a very big contrast," Brenning said.

Celebrations have been going on at Holmenkollen for years, and alcohol is of course part of it.

20,000 people attended on Saturday, and the Norwegian royal family was also there.

“The ski races in Kollen are a folk festival with 130 years of history and part of our cultural heritage,” said Holmenkollen managing director Marx.

»It's a difficult balance here.

Both we and the athletes like that it's a party with a lot of life and movement around the tracks, we have to pay attention to that, but we want to avoid the partygoers who can't behave," said Marx.

But he didn't want to dramatize the situation.

The situation never got out of control and most of the young people behaved well.

"It's a shame that the five percent who can't control their reception and lose all manners are stealing the headlines and attention from both the festival and the sporting achievements," said Marx.

Mayor Lindboe also wrote to Dagbladet that it was a nice celebration for many people, but criticized the fact that some had “left their manners at home.”

And Anders Oustorp from the Red Cross said: "We have less to do than last year."