National Mourning: The First Norwegian Sports Boycott in 1905

Abstract

One of the early sports boycotts in modern times occurred in 1905 as a reaction to the stalled negotiations concerning separate consulates for Norway, then in political union with the mightier country Sweden. The Committee for the representation of Norwegian athletes in the winter sporting contest Nordic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, decided to quit its work because of the sorrow which was said to be felt throughout Norway. To a considerable extent, the daily newspapers and weekly sports magazines defined the public opinion in this context. The editors, especially in the capital Kristiania (now Oslo), related the right to set up Norwegian consulates to the fundamental question of national sovereignty as well as to the democratic aspirations of the Norwegian people, thereby most probably inducing the Committee to terminate its work. Although the decision was a break from the paradigm of not mixing sport and politics, neither the Committee, nor the publications, nor most athletes voicing their opinions, presented the boycott as a kind of threat or direct political demonstration against Sweden. It became a question of morality and identity. The boycott in 1905 may be perceived as a demonstration of what mattered most – for the Norwegians themselves.