Princess Astrid of Norway was joined by the King of Sweden this weekend in the Norwegian city of Trondheim. There the two royals attended the Ski Tour 2020. They spent Saturday and Sunday watching the various ski sports and meeting the Norwegian and Swedish participants.
The winners of the various contests had a special meeting with the King Carl XVI Gustaf and Princess Astrid. The visit from two royal families has dominated Norwegian and Swedish media throughout the weekend. The competitions were broadcast live on Norwegian and Swedish television where you could see King Carl Gustaf and Princess Astrid meet the winners.
“Getting the opportunity to welcome Sweden’s King to both Östersund and Trondheim, and Norway’s Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner to Trondheim, is an honour and helps to elevate the event”, says Ola Strömberg, Chairman of Ski Tour 2020.
The Ski Tour 2020 was a cross-country skiing competition held as a part of the 2019–20 Cross-Country World Cup. This stage event took place in Sweden and Norway. The tour began in Östersund, Sweden on 15 February 2020 and concluded with the pursuit stage in Trondheim, Norway, on 23 February 2020. It consisted six stages, which were awarded with reduced number of World Cup points. For the overall standings they received three times the World Cup points compared to a regular individual World Cup event.
The ski federations in Norway and Sweden are the organizers of Ski Tour 2020. They have taken several steps to separate the Tour from other World Cup competitions and make the competition’s climate imprint as small as possible. Perhaps the most visible measures was to require the athletes to travel by train between the competition sites.
The Norwegian Royal Family has an unofficial residence in Trondheim – the estate Stiftsgården. The royal residence, dating from 1774, has 140 rooms and is the largest wooden building in Northern Europe. It has been used by royalty and their guests since 1800. It is not confirmed whether Princess Astrid and King Carl Gustaf were staying there during their visits to Trondheim and the surrounding areas.
