Bjorger Pettersen

Born in Norway, Bjorger Pettersen’s family immigrated to Canada in 1953, settling in Prince George, B.C., where his father, John, profoundly influenced the development of cross-country skiing both locally and throughout the province.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Bjorger expanded the tradition to encompass development of the sport provincially and internationally. He spent his life working full-time with cross country skiing and was a pioneer of this sport in Canada. He was a successful leader and groundbreaker as a coach, administrator, official, race organizer, ski industry developer and as Canada’s first full time professional in nordic skiing.

After a short racing career which resulted in being named to the 1963 Olympic training squad, Petterson moved into coaching full time in 1962, first as the head coach of the Canadian Ski Association, Western Division. After coaching the Canadian junior team for two years, he was promoted to head coach and program director of the national ski team for the next six years. He completed his coaching career by part-time coaching the  BC provincial team for seven years.

Along with his coaching years, Bjorger also built a leading Canadian sporting goods importer and distributorship company, Vikski Canada Ltd., which was the first in Canada to supply a full line of cross-country equipment. This company was followed by other service companies for cross country skiing. As a ski official and race organizer, Bjorger assisted with and promoted the first international FIS sanctioned cross country and biathlon races in Canada, with competitors from many foreign countries. His most noteworthy being: 1965 FIS North American Cross Country and Biathlon Championships; 1967 FIS Centennial Races; World Cups; and World Junior Championships.

Bjorger was Canada’s FIS representative on the FIS cross country committee for 27 years, sitting on all major committees and on the executive board representing the overseas countries for 16 years. He was FIS Technical Delegate at three Olympics, Chief of Race and was the Venue Manager at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 1957 – Co-founded Hickory Wing Ski Club, Prince George; club coach (1959–63)
• 1963–66 – Chair of Cross Country B.C.; Program Director, Western Division, Canadian Ski Association
• 1965 – Chief of Competition, Canadian National Senior Championships
• 1966–67 – Vice-Chair, Cross Country Canada
• 1967 – Chief of Competition, Centennial North American Championships (first FIS cross-country race in Canada); Co-founded Inuvik Ski Club; Program Director & Head Coach, TEST program
• 1972 – Head Coach & Manager, Canadian cross-country team, Winter Olympics, Sapporo; Founded Yellowhead Ski Club; joined FIS Cross Country Committee
• 1976–78 – Chair, Cross Country B.C.; Canada’s FIS representative at 1976 Winter Olympics; Chief of Competition, Western Canadian Championships
• 1980 – Jury Member, Nordic combined, Winter Olympics, Lake Placid
• 1982 – Jury Member, World Ski Championships, Oslo
• 1984 – FIS Executive Member, Winter Olympics, Sarajevo (Calgary delegation)
• 1988 – Chief of Competition, cross-country events, Winter Olympics, Calgary
• 1989 – Chief of Competition, World Cup, Canmore
• 1992 – Jury Member, Nordic combined, Winter Olympics, Albertville
• 1994 – Technical Delegate, Nordic combined, Winter Olympics, Lillehammer
• 1997 – Retired from FIS Cross Country Committee; named Honorary Life Member of FIS

AWARDS

• 1988: Air Canada Award for the Top Sport Official of the year in Canada
• 1991: Dave Rees Award, Cross Country Canada
• 1993: Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada
• 1994: Canadian of the Day, 1994 XVII Olympic Winter Games, Lillehammer, Norway
• 1999: Canada Ski Council Award
• 2000: Canadian Ski Council’s Millennium Award for developing and leaving a legacy for Canadian Skiing
• 2000: Named as one of three Honorable Lifetime Members of the FIS Cross Country Committee

Note: The information gathered in this biography was compiled from a number of sources; it may not be inclusive of all accomplishments. Copyright © Canadian Ski Hall of Fame & Museum. For personal and/or educational use only. All rights reserved.