Tour of Norway faces cancellation as government plans to cut vital funding

"If they don't reverse this decision, we will probably have to cancel. We would need to find alternative income at levels we haven't been close to seeing in the last ten years," said race director Roy Hegreberg to TV 2 Sport, who described the October announcement as "very surprising."

The event currently operates on a budget of just over 1.7 million euros, with the government's special funding scheme contributing approximately 850,000 euros. This scheme, which has been in place for nearly a decade, is now targeted for elimination in the government's 2026 budget proposal.

Established in 2011, Tour of Norway has attracted top international talent, with past winners including Remco Evenepoel, Edvald Boasson-Hagen, and Alexander Kristoff. The 2026 edition is currently planned to include four stages for men and three for women.

Kristoff, who recently retired from professional cycling and holds the record for most stage wins in the race's history with 11, has been appointed as the event's new ambassador.

"This is not an event that generates profit, it breaks even, so it would be impossible without those millions. With races for both men and women, it's perhaps the most important cycling event in Norway during the year, so it would be a major setback for Norwegian cycling not to be able to organize it," said Kristoff.

The government's reasoning for cutting the funding focuses on fairness across sporting events. The Ministry of Culture and Equality stated: "It is the Ministry's assessment that it is unfortunate to maintain a special scheme only for cycling races over a long period of time. Sports events in Norway should be treated equally as much as possible."

Hegreberg strongly disagrees with this logic. "They fail to mention that all other events of this size typically have large facilities that the state has helped finance, either directly or through lottery funds. We don't receive any lottery funds, and we don't have income from spectators," he explained.

He added that expenses such as hotel accommodations have become much more expensive in recent years, and unlike in southern Europe, race organizers in Norway must also pay for police presence.

"I think they have a lack of understanding of what cycling needs," Hegreberg concluded.

The final budget will be voted on in December. The current government needs support from other parties to pass the budget, giving race organizers hope that political pressure might reverse the decision before it's too late.