CANMORE, Alta.— A proposal to bring together Canada’s four Nordic sports has entered an important new phase. A team of experts has been hired to conduct a thorough analysis and stakeholder consultations, leading to a series of recommendations this fall.

What began as a conversation amongst the four national sport organizations (NSOs) about working together to achieve more podium results has expanded to a comprehensive study of opportunities and benefits in high performance, revenue generation, and Nordic sport participation.

The NSOs of the four Nordic sports share the belief that collaborating on a Nordic Strategy to nurture the sustained growth and development of all Nordic sport disciplines offers an exciting opportunity to become world leaders.

“Our sports face similar challenges and we’re all fully committed to exploring ways to attract new participants into the Nordic sports and produce more medal hopefuls for Canada,” said Lyle McLeod, President, Biathlon Canada Board of Directors. “This is a constructive process and we’re optimistic about what it will mean for the broader Nordic community.”

The Nordic Strategy Report and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Over the last year and a half, a combined steering committee has produced the Nordic Strategy Report which concludes that the best way forward is through the creation of a new, single NSO responsible for all Nordic disciplines. The proposed NSO would centralize governance and administration while allowing for high-performance and national team programs specific to each discipline.

The four Nordic sports, together with the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), and Own the Podium (OTP), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to pursue a business plan for a single NSO. The two primary goals remain increased participation in Nordic sport and achieving more consistent international success across all Nordic disciplines.

More information is available at nordicstrategy.ca.

Building a business case

With financial support from the Government of Canada, a Canadian-based international sport consultancy, LBB Strategies, has been contracted to build a business case that will examine all facets of a single NSO model, as compared to the status quo, in achieving the goals of the Nordic Strategy.

“This is an exciting next step in this important work with a shared commitment to making our respective sports stronger,” added Ted Kalil, Chair, Nordiq Canada Board of Directors. “However, it’s important to highlight that no organizational or governance changes will be made without the approval of the respective NSO member organizations.”

LBB Strategies has worked with many international and national sport organizations on organizational change, strategic and high performance planning, and corporate reorganization. LBB will work with leaders from Biathlon Canada, Nordic Combined Ski Canada, Nordiq Canada, and Ski Jumping Canada to evaluate the pros and cons of creating one NSO to pursue a bold new path for Nordic sport in Canada. To do so, LBB will perform a comprehensive organizational review of all four NSOs and facilitate a stakeholder engagement and consultation process to garner valuable inputs. 

Ultimately, the final decision on a future model will be vetted by the respective NSO Boards of Directors and subsequently put to a vote at an AGM or Special Meeting.

Work has started on this next phase of the Nordic Strategy with stakeholder engagement and consultation planned for late spring and early summer, and the business case and recommendations expected to be shared in the late fall.

For further information please visit nordicstrategy.ca.

Should you have questions, comments or wish to discuss this initiative with a member of the Nordic Strategy Steering Committee please contact info@nordicstrategy.ca.