Frogner stadion is a sports stadium in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, which has artificial ice in the winter for

speed skating Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skatin ...

and bandy. The artificial grass is used in the summer for soccer and American football. It is located close to the

Frogner Park Frogner Park ( no, Frognerparken) is a public park located in the West End borough of Frogner in Oslo, Norway. The park is historically part of Frogner Manor, and the manor house is located in the south of the park, and houses Oslo Museum. Both ...

, between the park and

Majorstuen Majorstuen is a particularly affluent neighbourhood in the Frogner borough in the inner part of Oslo, Norway. Majorstuen is known for its vibrant downtown and especially its shopping area. The area has several elegant townhouses c. 1880–1890. T ...

. One match,

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, was played here at the

2013 Bandy World Championship The 2013 Bandy World Championship was an edition of the top annual event in international bandy, held between January 23 and February 3, 2013, in Norway and Sweden. 14 countries participated in the 2013 championships: Belarus, Finland, Kazakhsta ...

History

It opened in 1901, and was built by the speed skating club Kristiania Skøiteklub. In 1914, the stadium was moved to its current position, due to the

1914 Jubilee Exhibition The 1914 Jubilee Exhibition took place in Kristiania, Norway, from May 5 to October 11, 1914. It marked the centennial anniversary of the 1814 constitution and focused on industry and agriculture. The main location was the grounds of Frogner Manor ...

. At the inaugural race in 1914, two

world records were set by

Oscar Mathisen Oscar Wilhelm Mathisen (4 October 1888 – 10 April 1954) was a Norwegian speed skater and celebrity, almost rivalling Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen as symbols for a young nation (Norway became independent in 1905). He represented ''Kristi ...

, in 500 m and 1,500 m. In 1928, Oslo Municipality took over responsibility for the stadium. Frogner stadion was one of the most important ice skating venues in Norway until 1940. A long series of championships were held at Frogner stadion, both in

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...

and in

. A total of 23 speed skating world records have been set at the stadium (including some not officially listed). Seventeen of the records from Frogner are listed among the official ISU world records in speed skating. Outside the stadium are statues of

and

Sonja Henie Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norwegian figure skater and film star. She was a three-time Olympic champion ( 1928, 1932, 1936) in women's singles, a ten-time World champion (1927–1936) and a six-time European champi ...

. Frogner stadion has been the venue for international matches both in football and bandy, as well as international

track and field athletics Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

competitions. The venue hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships in 1906, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1922 and 1924. After the rebuild in 2010 it also became the homefield of th
Oslo Vikings American football
currently the second best team in Norway.

Speed skating world records at Frogner stadion

Men's records

;World records at the old stadium (before 1914) In 1911,

Nikolay Strunnikov Nikolay Vasilyevich Strunnikov (russian: Николай Васильевич Струнников) (16 December 1886 – 12 January 1940) was a Russian World Champion in speed skating. In addition, he was also successful as a cyclist. __NOTOC__ ...

skated the 5,000 m distance in a world record time of 8:37.2. This record was originally not approved by ISU, but is now listed among the world records. Oscar Mathisen set two records on 17 and 18 February 1912. The 500 m time was 44.2, while the 10,000 m record was 17:46.3. He improved his own record twice in 1913, first in

Trondhjem Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

and later at Frogner, and the new record was 17:22.6. ;World records at the new stadium from 1914 Oscar Mathisen set two world records at the opening of the new stadium on 10 January 1914. The time was 43.7 over 500 m and 2:19.4 over 1,500 m. In 1916, Oscar Mathisen set a world record over 5,000 m, with the time 8:36.3. In 1921,

Harald Strøm Harald Strøm (14 October 1897 – 25 December 1977) was a Norwegian speed skater, world champion, European champion and world record holder on 5000 metres. He was also a football player, national champion with his club, and playing for the nati ...

set the record 8:27.7, and in 1922 he improved his own record to 8:26.5, both at Frogner stadion. Strøm's 5,000 m record from 1922 lasted seven years, the longest lasting of all world records set at Frogner, until it was beaten by

Ivar Ballangrud Ivar Eugen Ballangrud (né ''Eriksen'', 7 March 1904 – 1 June 1969) was a Norwegian speed skater, a four-time Olympic champion in speed skating. As the only triple gold medalist at the 1936 Winter Olympics, Ballangrud was the most successful at ...

in Davos in 1929. In 1932,

Clas Thunberg Arnold Clas ("Classe") Robert Thunberg (5 April 1893 – 28 April 1973) was a Finnish speed skater who won five Olympic gold medals – three at the inaugural Winter Olympics held in Chamonix in 1924 (along with a silver and a bronze medal) and t ...

skated the 1,000 m distance in 1:27.4, better than the world record, but this time is not registered as an official record. In 1936,

Allan Potts Allan W. Potts (May 14, 1904 – November 5, 1952) was an American National Indoor and Outdoor Champion speed skater who competed in the 1932 Winter Olympics and in the 1936 Winter Olympics. Inducted May 18, 1967, at Detroit, Michigan, into ...

set a world record over 500 m, with the time 42.4, improving on

Hans Engnestangen Hans Engnestangen (28 March 1908 – 9 May 2003) was a Norwegian speed skater and world champion. He held the world records over 500 and 1500 meters for more than 13 years. International championships At the 1932 Winter Olympics he participated ...

's time from Davos three years earlier. This record lasted only 12 days, when Engnestangen set another world record in Davos. Ivar Ballangrud set a world record at Frogner over 5,000 m in 1936, with the time 8:17.2, and this record lasted five years.

Women's records

Several records from Frogner stadion from the 1930s are not listed as official world records. Those that are listed are Synnøve Lie's 50.3 over 500 m in 1934, and

Laila Schou Nilsen Laila Schou Nilsen (18 March 1919 – 30 July 1998) was one of the foremost Norwegian sportspeople of the 20th century, best known as a speed skater, alpine skier, and tennis player. She was one of the pioneers in women's speed skating, both in ...

's 49.3 in 1935. Verné Lesche set a world record over 1,000 m in 1934, with 1:45.7. For the 1,500 m distance, three world records set at Frogner stadium are listed: Synnøve Lie's 3:08.1 in 1932, Undis Blikken's 2:40.0 in 1934, and Laila Schou Nilsen's 2:38.1 in 1937.

Transport

The stadium is served by a nearby light rail station on the

Frogner Line The Frogner Line ( no, Frognerlinjen) is a section of the Oslo Tramway which runs between Solli and Majorstuen, serving the neighborhood of Frogner. The line is served by tram number 12, and the Frogner section makes up the westernmost part of thi ...

; the station is named Frogner stadion. The station is served by line 12, which uses high-floor

SL79 SL79 is a class of 40 articulated trams operated by the Oslo Tramway of Norway. The trams were a variation of the Duewag trams that had been developed by the German manufacturer since the 1950s. The six-axle vehicles are unidirectional with four ...

Trams.

References

{{SFK Lyn Sports venues in Oslo Football venues in Norway Norwegian Cup Final venues Speed skating venues in Norway Bandy venues in Norway 1914 establishments in Norway SFK Lyn Norway national football team Frigg Oslo FK