By Teemu Virtanen

Everyone knows that Vasaloppet is the largest ski race in the world, and one of the biggest sports events in general, but what is the organization that runs these year-round activities under the supervision of the CEO Eva-Lena Frick. Let’s take a look at the non-profit “Vasaloppsföreningen”, which owns the brand and its events.

There are about 35 employees within the organization, whose job is to administer, plan and carry out Vasaloppet’s various events. The organization in turn is owned by the sports associations IFK Mora Idrottsallians (77 percent) and Sälens IF (33 percent). All the money that is not used for putting the events together goes right back into the sports movement.

Here are some interesting facts about the biggest sport brand on earth:

• A total of 99,847 people registered for Vasaloppet’s events in 2018
• The economical tourism effect of Vasaloppet amounts to over a quarter billion SEK each year

• About 5,000 people are hired as functionaries every year
• About 60 associations are involved every year
• Vasaloppet’s contributions to the regional sports movement in Dalarna amounts to about 15 million SEK per year
• Fees to the Swedish Ski Association and Swedish Cycling Federation amount to about 3 million SEK per year (money which is then distributed to district associations all over Sweden

Then, some fun facts about the energy & paper cup consumption during the Vasaloppet Winter Week:

• 38,700 liters of blueberry soup
• 31,500 liters of sports drink
• 12,300 liters of vegetable broth
• 3,090 liters of coffee
• 186,000 ”Vasaloppet buns”
• 494,000 paper cups