Planning of a Norwegian bid started in 1983, after
Juan Antonio Samaranch suggested an Oslo Olympic bid during the successfully staged
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1982 and a
Swedish bid with
Falun and
Östersund for the
1988 Winter Olympics had failed. A few months earlier already the choice of Lillehammer was proposed by
Arne B. Mollén, chairmen of the
Norwegian Olympic Committee, immediately after the Swedish failure, stating that Lillehammer was the only Nordic town capable of hosting the event. German IOC member Wolfgang Müller when know the idea immediately contacted Mollén, and they held a meeting on 12 October 1981, where it was agreed that the planning would not yet be launched to the public. The inland districts of
Oppland and
Hedmark had been experiencing an economic slump, and on 21 August 1981, the
Government of Norway had appointed a government committee, led by the politician
Odvar Nordli, to look into ways to stimulate the local economy. The committee was presented the plans, and concluded that it would be a suitable way to stimulate the region economy. In a secret meeting with the Lillehammer Executive Council on 22 January 1982, they were informed about the plans, and they decided to create a committee, led by Ole Sjetne, to plan the games. The municipal committee published a report on 28 January 1983, presenting a draft of the Olympic bidding plans. The
Labour Party was split, and both sides promised demonstrations and actions. On 1 October 1983, the limited company Lillehammer-OL 1992 AS was established to make the plans. Its director was Arild Sletten and its chair was Ole Sjetne. Financing for the planning was secured through NOK 15 million from the private sector and NOK 10 million from the public sector. During the
1984 Winter Olympics, held in
Sarajevo a public reception was held where Lillehammer's bidding for the 1992 Winter Olympics was launched. A major focus for the committee was to distribute information about Norway and very unknown Lillehammer among IOC members. This action led the visits to the 70 IOC members in their home countries, with the
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following up. Representatives attended 37 international sports events. During 1985, a government guarantee was secured, establishing the games' financial foundation. The Information Committee published a white book in 1984, which was critical to both the application process and the impact of the games on the town, warning that the city would change character. Arne Skouen stated that "[t]he best way to bulldoze over and leave the city behind looking like a battlefield is to organize an Olympics." In May 1985, Petter Rønningen took over as director of the company, by which time it had five full-time employees. The final plans were approved by the municipal council on 7 November. The formal bid was three volumes totaling 500-page, presented in English and French. The bid sent a delegation of 58 delegates to the IOC session, which was held in
Lausanne, Switzerland on 17 September 1986. ==Outcome==