By Nick Butler

Paralympic Nordic skiing will be held in Grønmo close to the centre of Oslo, it was announced this week ©Getty ImagesJanuary 12 - Eli Grimsby, chief executive of Oslo 2022, has claimed keeping the Paralympics "at the centre" of the Games motivated their decision to base Nordic skiing in the south-east of the city.


This follows the announcement that, along with the Olympic biathlon competition, Paralympic Nordic skiing would be held in the town of Grønmo which lies 15 minutes to the east of Oslo's city centre.

Although Alpine events will be held in the 1994 Olympic and Paralympic host area of Lillehammer to the north of the Oslo, virtually every other every would be held close together in what is being billed by Norwegian officials as an ultra-compact "Games in the City".

"Oslo is a city between the fjords and the forest and we did not want to expand too much into the forest - so developing the inner part was a way to find a solution," Grimsby told insidethegames.

"We chose the south-eastern part because we wanted to focus on the Paralympics.

"We have been looking for a good area for the Paralympics and wanted it to be close to the centre, but that also fulfiled the accessibility demands of those with disabilities."

It is hoped that stars like Nordic skiier Mariann Marthinsen will hope Paralympic Winter sport in Norway to return to the top of the medals table by 2022 ©Dan Patterson/IPCIt is hoped that stars like Nordic skiier Mariann Marthinsen will hope Paralympic winter sport in Norway to return to the top of the medals table by 2022 ©Dan Patterson/IPC


Norway is the most successful all-time nation at the Winter Paralympics, although they won just one gold medal at each of the last two Games at Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010, compared with 29 at Lillehammer 1994.

It is hoped hosting the Games in 2022 will help a revival of fortunes for the Norwegian Paralympics squad and holding events close to the city centre hub would further increase attention.

Grimsby also described how the Grønmo area has, until recently, been best known as the location of a landfield rather than for sport and, rather like the case of Stratford ahead of London 2012, the Games will help redevelop the whole area.

She claimed, "with the Paralympics and the Olympics we will get an opportunity to transform it into an area for children and young people."