The main sponsor for the cross-country skiing World Cup is pulling out, raising concerns about a significant financial blow for the sport.

The grocery giant Coop has been the main sponsor for the cross-country skiing World Cup for eight years. Now, that partnership has come to an end, and the consequences could be enormous.

According to Adresseavisen, the Coop agreement is valued at between 1.3 and 1.8 million euros per year.

“This is a catastrophe and financially devastating. These are terribly sad news for our national sport,” comments Professor Emeritus Tor W. Andreassen from the Norwegian School of Economics to Adresseavisen.

“If they do not find a sponsor of equal size, the entire setup will have to be scaled back. An agreement worth 15–20 million (1.3 and 1.8 million euros) means an incredible amount, so this is like being relegated from the top league,” he adds.

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Citing TV chaos

Communications Manager Silje Verlo Alisøy at Coop Norway states that the company now has a new sponsorship strategy that prioritizes other areas such as football and athletics.

The decision is linked to the television product, says Bjørn Vik-Mo, Deputy Managing Director at Coop Midt-Norge.

“TV coverage of cross-country skiing has been very scattered in recent years. Last winter, the rights to the World Cup were divided among NRK, TV 2, and Viaplay. I believe this is unfortunate for the sport, and that people have difficulty keeping track of what is broadcast where,” says Vik-Mo.

Crisis for winter’s World Championships

Coop became the main sponsor of the World Cup in 2018, and the agreement also included the Ski World Championships in 2021, 2023, and 2025. For the World Championships in Trondheim, Coop contributed with about 4 million euros.

This withdrawal now adds further complications for the 2027 World Championships in Falun. They are already in a challenging situation, especially since it remains unclear who will receive the broadcasting rights for the championship.

“We certainly hope to have clarity soon,” says Kajsa Sjösvärd from Falun-VM to SVT Sport.

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