Nikolai Ramm Østgaard (30 October 1885 – 20 June 1958), sometimes referred to as N. R. Østgaard, was a Norwegian

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

, aide-de-camp for

Olav V of Norway Olav V (, ; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was born at Sandringham House in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of ...

, and sports official who is best known as President of the

International Ski Federation The International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS (), is the highest international governing body for skiing and snowboarding. It was previously known as the International Ski Federation () until 26 May 2022 when the name was cha ...

(FIS) from 1934 to 1951.

Early and personal life

He was born in

Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) 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 of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...

as a son of merchant Einar Østgaard (1857–1907) and Karen Betzy Bredesen (1858–1938), and grandson of the writer Nikolai Ramm Østgaard. In July 1916 he married Ragni Gullichsen (1894–1956). One of their daughters married Erling Welle-Strand. He was the father of architect

Rolf Ramm Østgaard Rolf Ramm Østgaard (15 January 1923 – 8 November 2014) was a Norwegian architect. Personal life Ramm Østgaard was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Nikolai Ramm Østgaard (1885-1958) and his wife Ragni Gullichs ...

. He finished his secondary education in 1904 and graduated as a premier lieutenant from the

Norwegian Military Academy The Norwegian Military Academy (), in Oslo, educates officers of the Norwegian Army and serves as the King's Royal Guard. The academy was established in 1750, and is the oldest institution for higher education in Norway. History The Commander- ...

in 1908. From 1908 to 1913 he taught physical education and mathematics in Kristiania, while he spent several winters as a ski coach in Central Europe.

Sports career and royal service

In 1914 he became the personal trainer of Crown Prince Olav of Norway, by recommendation of his employer at school,

Sigurd Halling Sigurd Halling (20 July 1866 – 25 July 1938) was a Norwegian educator. Personal life Halling was born on 20 July 1866 in Lom, Norway, Lom to Honoratus Halling and Marie Henrikke Bomhoff. He was an uncle of Else Halling. Career He gradu ...

. Østgaard was promoted to aide-de-camp for the Crown Prince in 1924, from the 1930s also with the administrative responsibility for the farm

Skaugum Skaugum is an estate, manor house and the official residence of Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The estate is located in Asker, southwest of Oslo, by the foot of the mountain Skaugumsåsen. The estate con ...

. Also, his wife became mistress of the robes for the Crown Princess. Østgaard was himself an able

ski jumper Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...

and Nordic combined skier, and won three

Norwegian football cup The Norwegian Football Cup () is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament ...

s with his club

SFK Lyn Ski- og Fotballklubben Lyn () is a Norwegian alliance sports club from Nordre Aker, Oslo. It has two sections; for association football and Nordic skiing. Until 2010 they had a third section, for top-level association football, named FK Lyn. In t ...

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...

and

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

. He chaired SFK Lyn from 1911 to 1912, and also Kristiania Skiing District Association (1909–1910) and the Norwegian Ski Federation (1927–1930). While serving in the latter position he became vice president of the

(1928–1934), later serving as president from 1934 to 1951. He was proclaimed honorary president upon backing down. In the military Østgaard was promoted to captain in 1921, major in 1935 and lieutenant colonel in 1940. During the Norwegian campaign which followed the German invasion of Norway in April 1940, Østgaard served with the royal family in their flight northwards and then to the United Kingdom. He also followed the Crown Prince on his travels to North America. He was promoted to head aide-de-camp for the Crown Prince in 1945, from 1 January 1958 for the

King of Norway The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty king ...

as Olav was crowned as such. Østgaard held the rank of colonel from 1946. He also issued a book on

Crown Princess Märtha of Norway A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

in 1955 and edited a book on King Olav in 1957. Nikolai's son Einar (1929–2012) wrote two accounts on the royal family's flight in 1940; ''Reisen hun ikke ønsket'' (2005) and ''Kongen i krig'' (2009). Østgaard was a Knight, Grand Cross of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(1957); Commander, First Class of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

; Commander, Second Class of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

and the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...

; Officer of the Order of the Crown; Knight, First Class of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

, and Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

, the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

and the

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...

. He also held the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria in gold, the King's Medal of Merit in gold, the Haakon VII 25th Anniversary Medal and the

King George VI Coronation Medal The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir of King George VI's coronation. It was awarded to th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostgaard, Nikolai Ramm 1885 births 1958 deaths Writers from Oslo Norwegian Military Academy alumni Norwegian schoolteachers Norwegian male Nordic combined skiers Norwegian men's footballers Lyn Fotball players Norwegian sports coaches Norwegian sports executives and administrators International Ski and Snowboard Federation executives Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian expatriates in England Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders of the Order of Vasa Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Knights First Class of the Order of the Sword Knights of the Legion of Honour Knights of the Order of the Polar Star Knights of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Recipients of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Men's association football players not categorized by position