August 13, 2014 (Oslo and Sjusjøen, Norway) – Athletes from nine different countries took part in the global talent camp, where former World Champions and Olympic medalists Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen and Eldar Rønning shared their inside knowledge of what it takes to make it to the top.

“It’s both inspirational and motivating to gain insight into how other nations train.  When I trained with the American national team last year, I learned a lot about how I had to prioritise to become a faster sprinter,” says Uhrenholdt Jacobsen.

Promising athletes from Germany, Canada, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Iceland, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Norway participated at the camp.

Sharing knowledge and expertise
The global talent camp was hosted by the Norwegian Ski Federation in cooperation with Norwegian energy company, Statoil. By inviting talented athletes from different nations to train with each other, the aim was to boost motivation and cooperation amongst the participants and help develop cross country skiing outside the Nordic region.

“As the world’s largest and leading cross-country skiing nation, we have a responsibility to share our insight and expertise with other countries. It was a pleasure to invite talents and coaches from nine countries to Norway. Together, we created the world’s largest talent camp where we inspired and motivated each other,” says Åge Skinstad, head of cross country at the Norwegian Ski Federation.

In total, 90 athletes and 17 coaches attended Statoil’s International Heroes of Tomorrow camp.

New perspectives
The global talent camp took place in Oslo and Sjusjøen with athletes born between 1995 and 1997.  It is the first time such a large international talent camp has been organised for cross-country skiiers.

“Talent development isn’t just about hard work and practice. Insight into new ways of thinking, training and motivating yourself is also key to succeed as an athlete,” says Marius Rosenberg Amundsen, Sponsorship Manager for Statoil.

The talent camp took place 9th to 14th August with a packed program including hard-core workouts, socialising and motivational coaching, in addition to seminars with World Cup and Olympic medalists Uhrenholdt Jacobsen and Rønning.

Key facts about Statoil’s International Heroes of Tomorrow camp:
– Talent Camp for athletes born between 1995 – 1997
– 90 athletes and 17 coaches from nine countries
– The first and largest talent camp of its kind
– Part of the Norwegian Ski Federation and Statoil’s collaboration – “Heroes of Tomorrow”
– Held over seven days in Oslo and Sjusjøen
– Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen and Eldar Rønning participated as coaches and inspirational mentors