The role of the government
■The first governmental body related to sport was established in 1946. The Sport Office was under the management of the Ministry of Social Issues. The structure has undergone some reorganizational waves, currently the Department of Sport is part of the Ministry of Culture.
■Since the Second World War the government‘s involvement in the sports sector was mainly characterized by the provision of sporting facilities that are meant to be accessible to everyone.
■During the 1990s the government delivered two White Papers on sport that are still influential today. They make ‘’sport and physical activity for all’’ the ultimate goal of the public sport policy. It means that decisions about elite sport are not in the government’s jurisdiction.
■Today the Department of Sport is responsible for allocating funds for sport facility development. The source of financing is the state/owned gambling company, Norsk Tipping (refer to page ). The Department also transfers money to NIF to cover its administration and management expenses and also to provide funds for sport federations.
■The Norwegian government ensures a stable financial background for the sports sector. Local authorities also support their own sporting life