The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports ( no, Norges idrettsforbund og olympiske og paralympiske komité; NIF) is the umbrella organization for sport in

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 t ...

. It is the largest volunteering organization in Norway, with more than 2 million members and 12,000 sports clubs in 19 region confederations and 54 national federations. The current president is

Berit Kjøll Berit Kjøll (born 30 November 1955) is a Norwegian economist, corporate officer and sports administrator. She served as the president of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports from 2019 to 2023. Early and personal life Born on 30 November 1955, K ...

History

The organisation was founded in 1861 as ''Centralforeningen for Udbredelse af Legemsøvelser og Vaabenbrug'', and has later changed its name several times. The current name dates from 2007.

Former presidents

The presidents before 1940:

Centralforeningen 1861–1910

*1861-1864

Otto Richard Kierulf Otto Richard Kierulf (29 January 1825 – 7 January 1897) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and sports administrator. Biography Otto Richard Kierulf was born in Christiania (now Oslo). Kierulf was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Chr ...

*1864-1867

Nils Christian Irgens Nils Christian Irgens (10 October 1811 – 25 April 1878) was a Norwegian military officer and politician. He was born in Sogndal as the son of Lars Johannes Irgens, founding father of the Norwegian Constitution. Nils Christian Irgens became a mi ...

*1867-1869

*1869-1878 Lars Broch *1878-1881

Lars Christian Dahll Lars Christian Dahll (5 November 1823 – 29 November 1908) was a Norwegian military officer and politician. He chaired Centralforeningen for Udbredelse af Legemsøvelser og Vaabenbrug from 1878 to 1881. On 3 April 1884, he was made Minister of t ...

*1881-1885

Edvard Eriksen Edvard Eriksen (10 March 1876 – 12 January 1959) was a Danish–Icelandic sculptor. Biography He apprenticed as a wood carver, after which he trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts between 1894 and 1899. Eriksen's most famous work i ...

*1885-1887 Olaf Wilhelm Petersen *1887-1892 Anders Løwlie *1892-1902 Carl Sylow *1902-1904

Thorvald Prydz Thorvald is from the ''Old Norse'' name ''Þórvaldr'', which means "Thor's ruler". Despite this pagan origin, the name survived the conversion of Scandinavians to Christianity and remains popular up to the present. Thorvald may refer to: * Thorv ...

*1904-1906 Frithjof Jacobsen *1906-1916 Oscar Strugstad *1916-1919 Hans Daae

Norges Riksforbund for Idræt 1910–1919

*1910-1914

Johan Martens Johan Martens (20 November 1861 – 19 December 1932) was a Norwegian ship broker, politician for the Liberal Party and sports official. He was a co-founder of Bergens TF in 1882, the Norwegian Gymnastics Federation in 1890 which he chaired ...

*1914-1918 Johan Sverre *1918-1919

Leif S. Rode Leif Sundt Rode (27 January 1885 – 2 November 1967) was a Norwegian competitive rower, jurist, sports official, poet and playwright. Personal life Rode was born in Kristiania as the son of physician Emil Ferdinand Rode (1825–1921) and Ragna ...

Norges Landsforbund for Idræt 1919–1940

*1919-1925 Hjalmar Krag *1925-1930

*1930-1932

Jørgen Martinius Jensen Jørgen Martinius Jensen (1 January 1878 – 31 March 1970) was a Norwegian military officer and sports official. He was born in Kristiania and competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, where he placed 26th in individual jumping. He hea ...

*1932-1936

Daniel Eie Daniel Eie (24 April 1889 – 28 May 1961) was a Norwegian sports official. He was a member of the boys' clubs Spring and Løp as a child, but joined SFK Lyn in 1906. He served as vice president of the Football Association of Norway at the age of ...

*1936-1940 Carl Christiansen

Arbeidernes Idrettsforbund The Workers' Federation of Sports ( no, Arbeidernes Idrettsforbund), often just called the AIF, was a sporting organization in Norway between 1924 and 1946.Heinemann, Klaus. Sport Clubs in Various European Countries'. Schorndorf: Hofmann .a. 1999 ...
1924–1940

*1924-1926

Harald Liljedahl Harald Liljedahl (19 November 1892 – 1940) was a Norwegian cigarmaker, trade unionist and sports official. He was born in Larvik. He was the first chairman of the labour movement's sports confederation Arbeidernes Idrettsforbund (AIF), fr ...

*1926-1927

Oscar Hansen Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

*1927-1928

Thor Jørgensen Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, and ...

*1928-1931

Thorvald Olsen Thorvald Matheus "Torden" Olsen (30 July 1889 – 2 November 1938) was a Norwegian wrestler and sports official. He became Norwegian champion in his weight class in 1912, 1914, 1915 and 1918. He became Nordic champion in 1918. He represented ...

*1931-1935

Trygve Lie Trygve Halvdan Lie ( , ; 16 July 1896 – 30 December 1968) was a Norwegians, Norwegian politician, labour leader, government official and author. He served as Norwegian foreign minister during the critical years of the Nygaardsvold's Cabinet, N ...

*1935-1939 Arthur Ruud *1939-1940

Rolf Hofmo Rolf Hofmo (10 August 1898, in Kristiania – 11 May 1966, in Oslo) was a Norwegian politician and sports official. He was chairman of Arbeidernes Idrettsforbund (AIF) from 1939 to 1940, and central in the merge negotiations with Norges Landsforb ...

Rød Sport 1931–1934

*1931-

During the German occupation of Norway

NLF and AIF were merged in September 1940, but the new organization was soon usurped by the Nazi authorities during the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

. *1940-1940

Olaf Helset Olaf Helset (28 July 1892 – 21 August 1960) was a Norwegian military officer with the rank of Major General, and a sports administrator. He played a central role in the early resistance during the German occupation of Norway, both civil and mil ...

(deposed) *1940-1942 Egil Reichborn-Kjennerud *1942-1944 Charles Hoff

NIF 1946–1996

*1946-1948

*1948-1951 Arthur Ruud *1961-1965 Axel Proet Høst *1965-1967 Johan Chr. Schønheyder *1967-1973

Torfinn Bentzen Torfinn Bentzen (1912–1986) was a Norwegian jurist and sports official. He chaired the Norwegian Confederation of Sports The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports ( no, Norges idrettsforbund og olympiske og ...

*1973-1984

Ole Jacob Bangstad Ole Jacob Bangstad (9 April 1917 – 2 June 2010) was a Norwegian military officer and sports official. Career Bangstad was born at Harstad in Troms, Norway. He was the son of Alfred Bangstad (1874–1944) and Kristine Jacobsen (1883–1952). H ...

*1984-1990

Hans B. Skaset Hans Bernhard Skaset (born 10 April 1935) is a Norwegian civil servant and sports official. He was born in Åfjord. He competed in athletics and was national champion in pentathlon and decathlon. He was a professor at the Norwegian School of Sport ...

*1990-1994

William Engseth William Engseth (born 1 August 1933 in Målselv) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was appointed Minister of Local Government Affairs in 1987, and in 1988 he became Minister of Transport and Communications 1988–1989. In 1989 ...

*1994-1996 Arne Myhrvold

Norges Olympiske Komite 1965–1996

*1965-1969

Jørgen Jahre Jørgen Jahre (29 October 1907 – 24 April 1998) was a Norwegian shipowner and sports official. Jørgen Jahre was born in Tjølling, in Vestfold county, Norway. He was a nephew of Norwegian shipping magnate Anders Jahre. He was secretary of ...

*1969-1985

Arne B. Mollén Arne B. Mollén (2 May 1913 – 4 July 2000) was a Norwegian sports official. Representing the club IF Vestheim, he was the president of the Norwegian Athletics Association from 1953 to 1955, vice chairman of the Norwegian Olympic Committee from 1 ...

*1985-1989

Jan Gulbrandsen Jan Gulbrandsen (29 May 1938 – 4 September 2007) was a Norwegian hurdler, politician and sports official. His main event was the 400 metres hurdles. He became Norwegian champion in the event from 1957 through 1964, and won a silver medal in ...

*1989-1996 Arne Myhrvold

Norges Idrettsforbund og Olympiske Komite 1996–2007

*1996-1999 Arne Myhrvold *1999-2004 Kjell Olav Kran *2004-2004

Grethe Fossli Grethe Fossli (born 21 December 1954 in Bærum) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, establi ...

(acting) *2004-2007 Karl-Arne Johannessen *2007-2007 Odd-Roar Thorsen (acting) *2007-2007 Tove Paule

Norges Idrettsforbund og Olympiske og Paralympiske Komite 2007–

*2007–2011 Tove Paule *2011–2015

Børre Rognlien Børre Rognlien (born 26 December 1944) is a Norwegian sports official and politician for the Conservative Party. He started his career as a journalist and military officer. He is best known for administrating speed skating, and as a politician ...

*2015–2019

Tom Tvedt Tom Tvedt (born 31 January 1968) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He became county mayor of Rogaland following the 2007 Norwegian local elections. Before this he was the mayor of Randaberg for eight years. He also served as a dep ...

*2019–

References

External links

Official website
Sports organisations of Norway Sports organizations established in 1861 Organisations based in Oslo

1861 establishments in Norway {{Norway-sport-stub