Bjørnar Håkensmoen (or ''Bjoernar Haakensmoen'', born July 18, 1969) was the head coach of the Norway, Norwegian cross-country skiing team at the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...

. He rose to fame after offering

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

skier Sara Renner his

ski pole Ski poles, also referred to as poles (in North America), sticks (UK), or stocks (Australia), are used by skiers for balance and propulsion. Modern ski poles are most commonly made from aluminum and carbon fiber, though materials such as bamboo are ...

after hers broke during the women's team sprint event. This act of

sportsmanship Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport, or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. This is with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A "sore loser" refers to o ...

allowed Renner to go on to claim the silver medal with teammate

Beckie Scott Rebecca "Beckie" Scott, (born August 1, 1974) is a Canadian retired cross-country skier. She is Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athlete Committee, and served as an International Olympic Committee member by virtue of being elected ...

, edging the Norwegian entry of Ella Gjømle Berg and

Marit Bjørgen Marit Bjørgen (born 21 March 1980) is a former Norwegian cross-country skier. She is ranked first in the all-time Cross-Country World Cup rankings with 114 individual victories. Bjørgen is also the most successful sprinter in Cross-Country W ...

into fourth place. Canada responded to this act of kindness with many gifts and gestures, including: * Over 600 letters, telephone calls and e-mails of thanks were received by the Norwegian Embassy in Canada. * Canadian businessman Michael Page donated 7400 cans of maple syrup to the Norwegian Olympic Committee.Canadians thank Norway for Renner assistance.
* Renner herself sent Håkensmoen a bottle of wine as a token of her appreciation.

References

1969 births Living people Norwegian male cross-country skiers Norwegian cross-country skiing coaches {{norway-XC-skiing-bio-stub