Country Profile - Norway
Name: Norway
Population: 5,400,000 inhabitants
Capital: Oslo
Date of accession to the Council of Europe: 1949
Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football Matches and Other Sports Events, 2016
Date of Signature: 29/11/2016
Date of Ratification: 11/12/2017
Date of entry into force: 01/02/2018
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Coordination Arrangements
Presentation of the country's main government and sports institutions:
- Ministry of Culture and Equality
- Ministry of Justice and Public Security
- National committee on sport safety and security
Independent sports safety bodies:
Main Sports/ Sport Activities
Main sports in the country:
- Football
- Handball
- Ski (Alpine and Nordic Disciplines)
- Athletics
- Golf
Main sports federations and leagues: See above
Major Sports Events
Last major sports events organised since 2000 and key elements of their legacy:
- World Championships Ski (Nordic Disciplines), Oslo, 2011
- World Championships Biathlon, Oslo, 2016
- Youth Olympic Winter Games, Lillehammer, 2016
- World Championships Road Cycling, Bergen, 2017
- X-games, Oslo, 2016
Future major sports events organised and/or co-organised within the next 5 years:
- World Championships Ski (Nordic Disciplines), Trondheim, 2025
The country's main sports competitions:
- World Cup Ski (Nordic Disciplines), Oslo
- Cup final football, Oslo
- Athletics, Diamond League, Oslo
- Major teams’ home games, football
- Handball - Champions League games
Supporter Organisations
Information not available
Legal Framework
National legal framework on sports safety and security, including specific legal provisions on:
List of main laws and regulations
- The Norwegian Penal Code, the regulation on the handling of explosive substances, the Charter of the Norwegian National Football Association and the Norwegian Police Act.
National / local coordination bodies
- There is an annual co-ordination meeting with the national football association, NFIP (police), football clubs and football supporter associations. There is no general national co-ordination body in this field. However, there is a close cooperation between the police, Norwegian Football Association and football clubs on the issue of safety and security with relation to football matches, which is the sport most at risk.
Share of safety and security responsibilities
- The Norwegian police is always present at high-risk football matches. During the football match, the police work together with private security hired by the football clubs.
Stewarding/ private security
- The Norwegian Private Security Act regulates the private security in Norway.
Sports venues safety regulations, licensing, certification and inspection
- There are rules requiring that there has to be HC facilities, kiosks and first aid stations. There is an annual reapproval by the police and fire department. These are rules given by the National Football Association.
Sport-related hate speech, racism and other types of discrimination
- Norway's most important penal provision pertaining to hate speech is section 185 of the Norwegian Penal Code: Section 185, Hate speech:
“A penalty of a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years shall be applied to any person who with intent or gross negligence publicly makes a discriminatory or hateful statement. «Statement» includes the use of symbols. Any person who in the presence of others, with intent or gross negligence, makes such a statement to a person affected by it, see the second paragraph, is liable to a penalty of a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.
«Discriminatory or hateful statement» means threatening or insulting a person or promoting hate of, persecution of or contempt for another person based on his or her
a. skin colour or national or ethnic origin,
b. religion or life stance,
c. homosexual orientation, or
d. reduced functional capacity.”
Pyrotechnics and other forbidden items
- Pyrotechnics is forbidden to use according to the Norwegian regulation on the handling of explosive substances. There are some exceptions regarding the use of fireworks on New Year's Eve. The use of pyrotechnics at football stadiums is forbidden. As of now, some football clubs have a zero policy when it comes to the use of pyrotechnics in football stadiums. A fine issued by the police and a banning order could be the consequence of illegal use of pyrotechnics.
Alcohol/drug policy
- The use of drugs is forbidden under the Norwegian Penal Code. This includes the use of cannabis. It is also illegal to drink alcohol in public in Norway. There is no sale of alcohol in any Norwegian sports venues.
Specific sport-related misbehaviours typified as crimes
- The use of pyrotechnics in football stadiums has been increasing the last couple of years. There has also been fights between rival casuals.
Specific sport-related misbehaviours typified as misdemeanours
- Drinking alcohol in public areas. Drinking alcohol in public can result in a fine issued by the police.
Exclusion policy (banning orders / exit bans)
- In Norway, there are different rules both when it comes to what the clubs can implement by way of bans and what bans the courts, under Norwegian law, can impose on individual supporters. The clubs can, under their sanctioning rules, ban their supporters from the club's matches. The club decides how many games the ban lasts. This exclusion only applies to the club's matches. The Norwegian Football Association implements the same at football matches organised by them. Banning orders issued by the courts apply to all forms of sports events. The matter is first considered by a local police prosecutor before a final judgment is issued by a district court judge in a court of first instance. The ban applies both to the stadium and to the area where the match is to be played. The Norwegian police / a police officer can also issue a temporary 24-hour banning order if there is reason to believe that a person will cause public disturbance, the person has already caused public disturbance or the person does not follow orders from the police. The police can in these cases detain the person for up to four hours. If the person is intoxicated, the police can hold him/her until the person is sober. These provisions are contained in the Norwegian Police Act. The punishment for breaking the act is a fine issued by police prosecutor on behalf of the district police chief.
National Strategies/Policies
Information not available
Major Risks and Incidents
Major risks and trends on sport-related violence and disorder
Apart for a few football and ice hockey supporters, Norwegian sports supporters are peaceful and not considered a risk to public order and safety. Other than football and ice-hockey, no security challenges have been recorded in Norway in connection with any sport.
Last major incidents which seem relevant and enlightening on the need to adopt an integrated approach to safety, security and service
There have not been any major incidents in connection with sports events in Norway. Norway's biggest concern regarding safety is the increasing use of pyrotechnics by supporters during football matches.
Last updated on January 2024