Lillehammer Idrettforening is a Norwegian

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

club from

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munici ...

, founded on 28 May 1919. At that time city already had four different sports teams; for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

(since 1882),

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

(since 1892),

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 skat ...

(since 1897) and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

(since 1911) respectively. Its most prominent recent member is Morten Sand, who participated at the 2006 European Championships. Prominent former members include high jumper Astrid Tveit and long-distance runner

Brynhild Synstnes Brynhild Synstnes (born 20 April 1971) is a retired Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in 3000/5000 metres and later marathon. She represented Lillehammer IF and SK Vidar during her heyday. Biography She finished eighth at the 1990 ...

. The club hosts the ''Veidekkelekene'', the second largest athletics meet in Norway.

History

In 1973, Stampesletta opened, and the club moved from Sportsplassen i Lillehammer to there, with the old venue being retired in 1975. In 1977, the club hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships at Stampesletta. It was the last time the championships were held on gravel, and this caused problems because excessive rain drowned the venue, and the fire department had to pump off the water. The club started planning fixed surface on the venue in 1980, and was granted a loan for NOK 500,000. On 18 August 1981, the municipal council voted to grant NOK 200,000 for the upgrade. The work was largely done with voluntary work, and the new surface was inaugurated on 28 August 1982 with the Norwegian Relay Athletics Championship. The running track was renovated in 2003, and received a new surface layer and paint job. Lillehammer IF has hosted the Norwegian Athletics Championships three times, in 1977, 1995 and 2009. They have also hosted a series of other Norwegian championships, such as the Norwegian Junior Athletics Championships in 1958, 1987 and 2002, and the Norwegian Relay Athletics Championships in 1960, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1991 and 1999. Veidekkelekene is an annual track and field tournament held at Stampesletta. In 2010 it had 1,150 participants and is organized by Lillehammer IF, Gausdal FIK and Moelven IL. The tournament is the second-largest track and field event in Norway, after Tyrvinglekene.

Venue

Lillehammer IF is based at Stampesletta, a multi-sports complex located from the town center. The track and field venue has eight lanes around the full course, as well as a start allowing 110 meter

hurdling Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...

. In addition to the track and field venue, it has a main artificial turf football field with a

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...

, which is shared with the track and field venue.

References

;Bibliography *

External links

Official site
{{Sport in Lillehammer Athletics clubs in Norway Sport in Lillehammer Sports clubs and teams established in 1919 1919 establishments in Norway