The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports ( NIF), commonly known as the Norwegian Sports Confederation () is the umbrella organization for sport in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. 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 Zaineb Al-Samarai.

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 Oslo, Christiania (now Oslo). Kierulf was the son of Lieutenant Colo ...

*1864-1867 Nils Christian Irgens *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 ...

*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 ...

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

Norges Landsforbund for Idræt 1919–1940

*1919-1925 Hjalmar Krag *1925-1930 Leif S. Rode *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 Oslo, Kristiania and competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, where he placed 26th in individual jumping. He ...

*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 ...

*1936-1940

Carl Christiansen Carl Emil Christiansen (21 April 1886 – 23 July 1970) was a Norwegian post office official, sports official and organizational leader. Christiansen was born in Tønsberg to merchant Carl Emil Christiansen and Harda Paulsen, and married Ed ...

Arbeidernes Idrettsforbund The Workers' Federation of Sports (), often just called the AIF, was a sporting organization in Norway (mostly out of Norway) between 1924 and 1946.Heinemann, Klaus. Sport Clubs in Various European Countries'. Schorndorf: Hofmann .a. 1999. p. 27 ...
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 and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

*1927-1928

Thor Jørgensen Thor (from ) 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 fertility. B ...

*1928-1931

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

*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 Arthur Ruud (7 November 1905 – 29 September 1974) was a Norwegian civil servant, trade unionist and sports official. He chaired the trade union ''Norsk Telegraf- og Telefonforbund'' from 1930 to 1949. He was a leader of Arbeidernes Idrettsforb ...

*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 Landsfor ...

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 th ...

. *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 m ...

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

Charles Hoff Charles Teilmann Hoff (9 May 1902 – 19 February 1985) was a Norwegian athlete, coach, sports journalist, novelist and sports administrator. As an active athlete he competed in pole vault, long jump, triple jump, sprints and middle dista ...

NIF 1946–1996

*1946-1948

*1948-1951

*1961-1965

Axel Proet Høst Axel Proet Høst (1907 – 1985) was a Norwegian sports official. He was president of the Norwegian Boxing Association from 1938 to 1949. He was president of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports from 1961 to 1965. He served as høyesterettssa ...

*1965-1967 Johan Chr. Schønheyder *1967-1973

Torfinn Bentzen Torfinn Bentzen (1912–1986) was a Norwegian jurist and sports official. He chaired the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports, Norwegian Confederation of Sports from 1967 to 1973. He was a barrister by occupatio ...

*1973-1984 Ole Jacob Bangstad *1984-1990 Hans B. Skaset *1990-1994 William Engseth *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 o ...

*1969-1985 Arne B. Mollén *1985-1989 Jan Gulbrandsen *1989-1996 Arne Myhrvold

Norges Idrettsforbund og Olympiske Komite 1996–2007

*1996-1999 Arne Myhrvold *1999-2004 Kjell Olav Kran *2004-2004 Grethe Fossli (acting) *2004-2007

Karl-Arne Johannessen Karl-Arne Johannessen (born 30 June 1952) is a Norwegian physician, health administrator and sports official. He was president of the Norwegian Handball Federation The Norwegian Handball Federation (, NHF) is the national handball association ...

*2007-2007 Odd-Roar Thorsen (acting) *2007-2007

Tove Paule Tove Paule (born 11 January 1951) is a Norwegian sports official. She was the secretary general of the Norwegian Gymnastics Federation from 1995 to 2000, and became the president of the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation ...

Norges Idrettsforbund og Olympiske og Paralympiske Komite 2007–

*2007–2011

*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 politicia ...

*2015–2019 Tom Tvedt *2019– Berit Kjøll

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