Previously unknown figures about the crisis following the World Championships in Trondheim have been revealed. At Tuesday’s meeting with the owners and creditors, it was revealed that the Nordic Ski World Championships is facing claims totaling NOK 134 million (approximately EUR 11.4 million).

After the meeting between the owners of the organizing company behind the Trondheim World Championships and the creditors on Tuesday evening, it became clear that the owner company is heading for a significantly larger deficit than previously communicated.

The company behind the World Championships, which has been working for several weeks to gain an overview of its finances following the popular event in Granåsen in February and March, believes it is owed just over NOK 85 million (approximately EUR 7.2 million). However, the claims against the organizing company behind the championships amount to more than NOK 134 million (approx. EUR 11.4 million).

The company’s lawyer, Marius Gisvold, also indicated during the meeting that the crisis surrounding the finances alone would cost the owner company over NOK 2.5 million (approx. EUR 212,500).

Read More: World Championship scandal: “More excuses than explanations”

The calculations

According to championship management, the total amount of claims that should be approved is approximately NOK 84 million (roughly EUR 7.1 million).

However, the total amount of claims from all creditors exceeds NOK 134 million (approx. EUR 11.4 million). The question now is how many of these are considered legitimate or genuine.

As of now, the championship company reports that it has NOK 20.8 million (approximately EUR 1.77 million) in its account.

Additionally, the company estimates that it is owed NOK 19.5 million (approximately EUR 1.66 million) in VAT compensation.

Additionally, there are outstanding receivables totaling NOK 47.5 million (approximately EUR 4.04 million), according to the company behind the World Championships.

In total, they estimate they have approximately NOK 85 million (roughly EUR 7.2 million).

So, what does this mean?

A shortfall of NOK 70 million (approx. EUR 5.95 million)

If the figures are correct – with total claims at NOK 134 million (approx. EUR 11.4 million) and assets at NOK 85 million (approx. EUR 7.2 million) – the deficit would be around NOK 50 million (approx. EUR 4.25 million). That represents a gap of over NOK 70 million (approximately EUR 5.95 million), as the World Championships had previously suggested a surplus of NOK 22 million (approximately EUR 1.87 million).

The organizing company behind championships is owned by the Norwegian Ski Federation (60%), Sør-Trøndelag Ski District (30%), and the Municipality of Trondheim (10%). During the Norwegian Ski Association’s Spring meeting this past weekend, the massive deficit of the championships was a central topic.

Also Read: U23 and Junior World Championships crisis: Money gone, clock ticking

What happened?

There are several reasons for the deficit: increased prices, higher security costs, and discounted ticket prices toward the end of the event.

After the championship, the organizing company received several unexpected invoices in the million-kroner range, which, according to the chairman, had not been anticipated.

These included timekeeping, transport, and security, totaling NOK 17.5 million (approx. EUR 1.49 million). With a NOK 6 million (approx. EUR 510,000) shortfall in ticket sales, the entire projected surplus turned into a significant deficit.

In addition, on-site sales were below budget, which meeting notes attribute to bad weather. The case is being updated.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has submitted a bill of NOK 5 million (approximately EUR 425,000) for timekeeping services. This amount was reportedly unknown to Trondheim 2025 until now.

Transport company AtB has warned of a bill of NOK 6.5 million (approx. EUR 552,500).

Security company Ramudden has, in turn, issued an additional invoice of NOK 6 million (approx. EUR 510,000).

Tickets were sold for a total of NOK 84 million (approx. EUR 7.14 million) – NOK 6 million (approx. EUR 510,000) short of the budgeted NOK 90 million (approx. EUR 7.65 million).

Several debt collection claims have also been received, primarily for smaller amounts.

The financial scandal at the World Championships will now be investigated from multiple directions. The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway (Finanstilsynet) has announced that it will also examine what went wrong.

Previously, the audit committee of the Trondheim Municipality – a co-owner in the organizing company “Ski-VM Trondheim 2025 AS” – announced that it would investigate the matter. Additionally, the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, NAV, and the Tax Administration all have ongoing cases involving Ski-VM.

Currency note: All approximate EUR values are based on an exchange rate of 1 NOK ≈ 0.085 EUR, as of June 18, 2025. Actual conversion rates may vary.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.