The City of Lillehammer joined the Union in 2021. Two Olympic legacy entities, namely the Olympic Park and the Olympic Legacy Sports Centre, joined the Union as affiliate Members in 2024. A city, a venue operator and a training centre for athletes, all acting to build upon the Lillehammer Olympic legacy. What is the vision of your institution on the potential that relies in activating Olympic legacy?

Hans Olav Sundfør, Mayor, City of Lillehammer
The Olympic legacy is an integral part of the very identity of Lillehammer. The venues, the regular world cup events, and the athlete teams from around the world are all important to the city.  Our vision is that Lillehammer will continue to be one of the main places where the international winter sports family comes together to compete, train, share and learn from each other.

Per Olav Andersen, CEO, Lillehammer Olympic Park
Our goal is to create significant activity at our five Olympic venues and ensure they remain in world-class condition, making them perfect for major events and sports competitions. We strive to be a globally leading company, both as an organizer and in the technical delivery of sports venues.
We are actively working to build a company with extensive expertise in areas such as event logistics, marketing, technical delivery, project management, and more. At the same time, we are strengthening our connections with experts from the sports community and integrating their knowledge into our own team. Our ambition is to be a comprehensive provider, delivering events that generate significant ripple effects for businesses, sports, and the people of Lillehammer and Norway.

Per Erik Mæhlum, CEO, Lillehammer Olympic Legacy Sport Centre
From the beginning of the bidding process for the Youth Olympic Games in 2016, we meticulously planned the creation of a Legacy Centre to ensure the best possible management of the legacy after the games. As part of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports, the Lillehammer Olympic Legacy Sports Centre is still playing a key role in our wish to share knowledge and best practices nationally and internationally. As an experienced winter sports nation, we aim to unite athletes, coaches, and sports leaders to foster and spread the spirit of sport. Since 2017, we are proud to have hosted over 1,000 athletes and coaches from 50 different nations at our international training camps, and more than 300 sports leaders have participated in our young leaders’ programmes. 

To pursue the discussions engaged at the 2024 Olympic Legacy forum on impact and legacy multi-stakeholder collaboration, could you share a project where all three entities were involved that showcases your collaboration and its impact?

Hans Olav Sundfør, Mayor, City of Lillehammer (on behalf of the three entities)
We all play essential roles in facilitating the sharing of knowledge and technology of winter sports, and in contributing to include new nations into the global winter sports community. We see athletes from young winter sports nations attending training camps at the Legacy Centre at our venues. Then some years later, we meet the same athletes in our world cup events and in national team training at the same venues.

Per Erik Mæhlum, CEO, Lillehammer Olympic Legacy Sport Centre
As an example, the Legacy Centre was an active contributor to the 25-year anniversary in 2019 together with the other stakeholders. We were responsible for a major sport conference where we highlighted the Olympic Legacy since 1994.  

What key learning would you like to share with other cities and legacy organisations seeking to foster effective collaboration?

Hans Olav Sundfør, Mayor, City of Lillehammer
I think it is important to see the different organisations and facilities as part of a community sports ecosystem, where we fill different roles in an efficient manner. Close contact, dialogue and a search for synergies in all activities is essential. We have all experienced how economic sustainability in Olympic venues and capabilities is challenging. Cooperation and a continuous search for ways to build the ecosystem contribute to making such sustainability viable.

Per Olav Andersen, CEO, Lillehammer Olympic Park
Even though Lillehammer is a small city, that doesn’t necessarily make collaboration across organizations easier or more natural. Whether your partner’s office is two meters or 200 kilometers away is irrelevant—true collaboration requires a conscious and intentional effort. This is something we work on every day in Lillehammer. The key to success lies in involving each other early in the process and developing a shared plan from the start. Sure, there have been times when we’ve gone off track or lost sight of each other in certain projects. But we see that when we commit to early collaboration and active involvement, we achieve success! So, my advice to others is simple: always prioritize involvement and clear responsibility distribution from the very beginning of every project.

Per Erik Mæhlum, CEO, Lillehammer Olympic Legacy Sport Centre
The Legacy Centre depends on the venues to work out our activities. This is also true in regards to our training camps. In this, the City of Lillehammer, as owner of Lillehammer Olympiapark plays an important role in the total picture.