Tag: Norway

Cabot invests in ‘otherworldly’ Lofoten Links far north of the Arctic Circle in Norway

Golf 24 hours a day? It’s possible at Lofoten Links, but that’s only a part of the attraction.

As Cabot has expanded in the past several years from its roots with two courses in Nova Scotia into a global operator with resorts stretching from Europe to western Canada, there have been long summer nights when the sun never sets on the Canadian-based company.

That’s now more true than ever.

Cabot will announce this week that it is investing in Lofoten Links in Gimsøysand, Norway, one of those mind-bending locations for golf with a rugged seaside layout that has earned a spot on plenty of traveling golfers’ bucket lists. The course ties for No. 72 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of international courses.

During the summer, the sun never drops below the horizon at Lofoten Links, which is nearly 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle and flush against the Norwegian Sea. Twilight simply rebounds into morning for golfers with the stamina to keep swinging, and the course is open 24 hours a day in June and July.

“Having played golf there a couple of times, teeing off just before midnight, it’s just one of those experiences that I think every golfer should aspire to have in their lifetime,” said Ben Cowan-Dewar, co-founder and CEO of Cabot. “If you’ve had a taste of it, you’re keen to go back.”

But don’t confuse Lofoten Links as some sunshine gimmick. Originally opened in 1998 as a six-hole layout, the course has been expanded by architect Jeremy Turner, reaching a full 18 in 2015. Built on an old Viking site with two Viking graves on the course, it’s as mind-bending and extreme a golf environment as might be imagined. The coastal holes in particular are lined with rocky outcroppings, the links having been carved into stone.

“I was there five years ago and sort of fell in love with the property and the destination,” Cowan-Dewar said. “I mean, it’s just such a beautiful sight. … It’s a course that has gained a lot of recognition globally and for great reason. I think the chance to be a part of it just felt too good to be true.”

Lofoten Links Cabot
The northern lights shine above Lofoten Links in Norway. (Courtesy of Cabot and Lofoten Links/Jacob Sjoman)

Cowan-Dewar has overseen Cabot’s rapid expansion from its Cape Breton foundations in Nova Scotia to include ownership of courses at several far-flung points. The company’s properties now include Cabot Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Cabot Citrus Farms (formerly World Woods) in Florida, Cabot Bordeaux (formerly Golf Du Médoc Resort) in France, Cabot Highlands (formerly Castle Stuart) in Scotland and the in-development Cabot Revelstoke in western Canada.

Cowan-Dewar said Cabot will work with Lofoten Links’ current ownership group, led by founder Frode Hov, whose family has owned the land for more than 400 years. Cowan-Dewar and Hov discussed a possible partnership several years ago, but talks ceased during Covid. With global golf travel buzzing these days, Cowan-Dewar said now is the right time to invest in such an off-the-beaten-path location – similar in that regard to Cabot’s courses in Nova Scotia.

“For us now, it’s really about making the investment work with their team and just trying to help them realize the full potential of their amazing asset,” Cowan-Dewar said. “Frode will still be very much involved and will oversee things on a day-to-day basis.”

Lofoten Links will retain its name without Cabot branding at least for the foreseeable future, different than the company’s other owned and operated properties that carry the company’s name. The property currently has several nearby lodges for guests, and Cabot is likely to help expand on accommodations.

Lofoten’s golf season runs from May until the middle of October, and with plenty of hiking and kayaking available plus the frequently brilliant displays of the northern lights a powerful attraction, it won’t be just golf filling the rooms. Golfers who want to see the northern lights must plan accordingly, with the nightly shows beginning in mid-August after the sun begins again to dip below the horizon toward the end of summer.

Could there be more golf in the works at Lofoten? Mike Keiser, the founder of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort and an early investor in Cabot, has said many times about the number of courses available that one plus one equals three when it comes to developing a far-off golf destination.

“To get to that formula, first you need one course, and Lofoten has a great one,” Cowan-Dewar said. “That’s always the hardest part. I think there is a potential for more golf, and I think that’s one of the things we’ll certainly look at. I think there is an opportunity. We really just want to see the first course reach its whole potential and then be able to go from there.

“I think the setting is truly otherworldly. … It’s just about building on top of what is just an extraordinary foundation.”

Check out a selection of images by international golf photographer Jacob Sjoman below:

This mysterious Arctic vault protects the world’s biodiversity

Peer into the vault.

In remote Svalbard, halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole, a mysterious bunker is carved into Plateau Mountain. If you drive between the town of Longyearbyen and the Svalbard airport, you can see the entrance poking out of the snow and permafrost. But that’s as close as you’ll get. This high-security facility is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It houses backup seeds from around the world to ensure crop biodiversity.

It’s been called the “doomsday vault” because the seeds are waiting patiently to repopulate fields in case of war, drought, plagues of locusts, or other manmade or natural disasters. The vault holds more than 1 million samples from almost every country.

The snowy mountain area where the seed vault is built.
Photo by Riccardo Gangale, via Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Why Svalbard?

More than 1,700 gene banks worldwide store food crop seeds for safekeeping. But not only are they vulnerable to major catastrophes, but also to simple problems like poor management and lack of funding. A freezer breaks? There goes your country’s biodiversity backup. That’s why a well-run global seed vault is so valuable.

Svalbard is located far from the world’s other gene banks. In fact, it’s the farthest north you can fly on a scheduled flight, making it remote but still accessible. Seed shipments only have to travel 10 minutes from the Svalbard airport. The area is above sea level, geologically stable, and has low humidity. Nowhere is immune from global warming, but Svalbard is one of the world’s coldest places. The vault is further cooled down to -18 degrees Celsius (-0.4 degrees Fahrenheit). But even if the cooling system were to fail, permafrost would keep the seeds viable for a long time.

A replica of the seed vault, a structure in a mountainside.
Model of the seed vault in the Svalbard Museum. / Photo by Teresa Bergen

How are seeds stored?

The Nordic Genetic Resources Centre runs the seed vault. Countries around the world can store seeds in the vault for free. Construction started in 2006, and the first seeds arrived in 2008.

Workers receive sealed boxes of seeds in a portal room. From there, they wheel them down a high-tech, watertight tunnel and deposit the seeds in one of three chambers. This should be enough storage for decades to come. But there’s plenty of room in the mountain to carve out more chambers if needed. The chambers house long shelves with colorful boxes made of plastic, wood, or cardboard.

Each depositing gene bank maintains ownership of its seeds. Only that gene bank can request to have its seeds returned. In 2015, Syria made the first withdrawal. The International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, originally located in the hard-hit city of Aleppo, requested that the Svalbard vault return 130 of its 325 boxes of deposited seeds to replace those damaged by war.

Those Syrian seeds were safely stored in Svalbard, alongside cowpea from Sudan, pearl millet from Zambia, heirloom seeds from the United States, and barley from the remote Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan, among about a million others.

Can you visit?

While tourists aren’t allowed inside this high-security facility (for obvious reasons), several tours take visitors to see the entrance. If you find yourself in remote Longyearbyen, consider booking a guided Seed to Summit hike, where you’ll learn all about the town’s coal mining history and pass the vault entrance. Or see the area by car on the two-hour Longyearbyen in a Nutshell tour.

A glowing green light on a thin building built into a snowy mountain.
Photo by Martyn Smith

2023 Women’s World Cup Knockout Stage Day 1 Recap: Spain, Japan advance

The two favorites scored convincing wins on the first day of knockout stage action

After a one-day break, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup got back underway as the knockout stage of the tournament was kickstarted by two games: Spain took on Switzerland, and Japan squared off against Norway. In the end, neither game was a nail-biter, as both of the higher-ranked squads won fairly decisively.

But before we get into the action, here is your daily reminder that you can follow the entirety of this year’s World Cup right here on Pro Soccer Wire! You can keep up with the full TV/streaming schedule, a power ranking of all 16 knockout stage teams, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s get into the games.

World Cup knockout round power rankings: Evaluating all 16 teams

Evaluating the hopes of the 16 teams left at this World Cup

A World Cup group stage full of surprises has resulted in a truly intriguing set of 16 teams going through to the knockout rounds.

Some favorites have looked the part, but the list of big teams that have underachieved is significantly longer (it’s not just the U.S. women’s national team, folks). A couple of second-tier teams have stepped their game up, while some unheralded sides have shown that while no one was watching, they were making major strides.

The result is a round of 16 where it feels like nearly anything could happen. Could the USWNT join the likes of Germany, Brazil, and Canada in being out? What about the possibility of teams like Jamaica, Morocco, and South Africa getting to the quarterfinals?

It’s been completely unpredictable, so all of these things are distinctly possible. Still, Pro Soccer Wire tried to sort out the likelihood of any one team making a run to the final. Somewhere between their results in this tournament, past track record, and overall talent level, we’ve settled on a power rankings list that everyone everywhere will surely have no problems with.

2023 Women’s World Cup Day 11 Recap: Colombia stuns Germany

Colombia scored a 97th-minute winner to produce one of the shocks of the tournament so far

There was plenty of action on Day 11 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as the first group completed its matches and another was shaken up by a huge upset. There were four games on Day 11: South Korea took on Morocco, Norway faced off against the Philippines, Switzerland played New Zealand, and Germany battled against Colombia.

But before we get into the games, here’s your daily reminder that you can keep up with the entire World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! You can get the full TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the rankings in this year’s race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s see how the games played out.

Hegerberg out for Norway’s must-win World Cup clash with the Philippines

This World Cup is not going well for Norway

Norway just cannot catch a break at this World Cup.

The Group A favorites, after stumbling to a dispiriting loss to New Zealand and only managing a scoreless draw versus Switzerland, will play a must-win game against the Philippines without injured star Ada Hegerberg.

The Lyon striker did not play against the Swiss, withdrawing from the match just seconds before kickoff with what Norway said was a groin injury.

The 28-year-old has not recovered in time to play any part against the Malditas, who have surprised observers by picking up a win and staying in the mix to go through with the right result on Sunday.

“There was too little time to make it to the match against the Philippines,” said Hegerberg in a statement published by Reuters. “I have faith in the team and will continue to work to be ready for a possible round of 16 game.”

“[Hegerberg] is not ready for this game, it came too early after her injury,” Norway manager Hege Riise told reporters at a pre-match press conference. “The medical staff have worked to see if [her return] was possible. It turned out today that it was not.”

Riise added that Norway’s medical team will keep working with Hegerberg with the aim of getting her ready in time for a knockout round match, acknowledging that her side must also clinch a place in the round of 16 to hold up its end of the bargain.

Problems mounting for Norway

With a roster stacked with midfielders and forwards playing at some of Europe’s best clubs, Norway was a very popular pick to win a weaker Group A, and to potentially advance beyond the round of 16 as well.

However, a shocking performance in the tournament’s opening game saw them outplayed and beaten by New Zealand in what was the Football Ferns’ first-ever World Cup win.

Despite a better result against Switzerland, things only got worse: Hegerberg picked up her injury doing one last short sprint — the kind of run players do before any professional game — moments from kickoff.

After that 0-0 draw, Riise drew public criticism from Caroline Graham Hansen after the star winger — along with Barcelona teammate Ingrid Engen — was surprisingly dropped to the bench for what the Norway boss said were tactical reasons.

Graham Hansen issued a public apology in the days that followed, though that statement was less about the content of her disagreements and more about making them public at the wrong time.

All of this comes as Norway faces a very difficult path out of Group A. They must beat the Philippines. They’ll also need the right result between New Zealand and Switzerland, which will be played simultaneously.

If the Football Ferns get a second win, Norway would need the scorelines of their victory and the Swiss loss to allow them to make up a goal difference deficit of three to squeak into second place. If Switzerland can beat the hosts, Norway’s path is more clear: they would finish second on four points, with New Zealand in third on three.

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Graham Hansen critical of Riise as Norway’s World Cup hopes fade

Graham Hansen: “I feel I have been stepped on for a year”

Norway’s World Cup is rapidly spinning towards becoming a debacle.

The favorites in Group A suffered a stunning loss in the tournament’s first game to New Zealand, a result compounded by a flat, mystifyingly conservative performance.

Head coach Hege Riise then shocked most observers by announcing that she would be dropping Barcelona duo Caroline Graham Hansen and Ingrid Engen for their second match against Switzerland.

Norway would go on to register a scoreless draw against the Swiss, a result that only just barely kept the Gresshoppene alive in a group they were expected to stroll through.

Graham Hansen and Engen would both figure into the match as substitutes, but after the game, it sounded like that choice went down like a lead balloon.

“It’s tough. I don’t know what I can say,” Graham Hansen told broadcaster ViaPlay at full time. “There’s not much I can say, I feel like I’m standing here with my hands tied.”

“I feel I have been stepped on for a year. People talk all the time about standing together as a team and a nation, but I feel that in the last year I’ve just accepted [this treatment],” continued Graham Hansen. “I’m not going to go into who here in the press, but perhaps you understand between the lines what is happening and where the shoe is pressing.

“It’s not like you should get anything for free in this life, but I thought I had earned a certain respect. It wasn’t like that. Maybe you have to look at yourself in the mirror and believe less about myself.”

Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster TV2, Graham Hansen added that she disagreed with the rationale Riise apparently gave for the decision.

“I do not agree with the justification, or that one is put out in that way. That’s how it is,” said Graham Hansen. “I can’t create any chaos no matter how much I want to. I don’t want to be a bitter egoist who only thinks about herself.”

Reporters asked Riise about Graham Hansen’s remarks in a post-match press conference, but the coach was not inclined to discuss them at length.

“I don’t think I should comment on that. Caro will be responsible for that. I haven’t seen it or heard it, so I can’t relate to [her comments],” said Riise. “I made an assessment of what we have been working on for a long time, ever since we arrived… These are things we will handle internally. There is a lot of frustration that we didn’t win. Caroline is entitled to be frustrated and entitled to express her option.”

Hegerberg injury more trouble for Norway

Graham Hansen’s discontent isn’t Norway’s only problem. Star striker Ada Hegerberg withdrew literally during the team’s last huddle before kicking off with an apparent groin injury.

Norway scrambled to add Sophie Román Haug to their starting lineup, with Hegerberg playing no part in the match.

The Lyon forward took to social media to say that she felt “discomfort” in a sprint after the national anthems, and that there was a collective agreement that playing would have been too great a risk.

Norway may not have been listed among the absolute favorites in Australia and New Zealand, but with Graham Hansen, Engen, Hegerberg, and Chelsea playmaker Guro Reiten, they have the talent to trouble any team on the planet.

However, this rocky start to the World Cup is coming after a disastrous Euro 2022 that saw them lose 8-0 to England and crash out in the group stage. Despite her legendary status as a player during Norway’s glory days, Riise appears to be facing a daunting task to get the team back on course.

As things stand, Norway must beat the Philippines to have a chance of escaping a group they were supposed to win handily. They’ll very likely need to do so by multiple goals as well, given that a draw or a New Zealand win in the group’s other game would leave Norway tied with either the hosts or Switzerland on four points.

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2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Day 6 Recap: Philippines makes history

The Philippines stunned host nation New Zealand to notch its first ever World Cup win

Another day, another slate of 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup action to unpack. We had three games on Day 6, all of which came with their fair share of intrigue. Colombia faced off against the Korea Republic, New Zealand took on the Philippines, and Switzerland battled it out against Norway.

But as always, before we get into the games, this is your reminder that you can follow the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! Check out the TV/streaming schedule, the updated list of the group stage standings, and the race for the Golden Boot.

Let’s get into the action.

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Day 1 Recap: Host countries get it done

Day 1 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup has come and gone, and the host countries took care of business.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is officially underway! The ninth edition of the event, which is being hosted in Australia and New Zealand, got started on Thursday. Both host nations helped kickstart the event, with New Zealand facing off against Norway and Australia taking on the Republic of Ireland.

A quick reminder before we get into the games, you can keep up with the entire World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire! You can find the TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and the race for the Golden Boot here at all times.

Now, let’s get into the action from Day 1.

Could you live in Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost city?

Here’s what it’s like in the Arctic.

Would you like to live where reindeer roam the streets, you have an entire month of slow-motion sunset, and it’s illegal to die? Then come on up to Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost city. Located at 78.2232-degree latitude, the biggest settlement in the Norwegian Arctic’s Svalbard archipelago is just 650 miles from the North Pole.

I gleaned this info while visiting the area with Quark Expeditions. Quark guide Gerardo “Gordo” Stern shared many of these fun facts with passengers on our Arctic cruise. Stern, originally from Buenos Aires, spent a year in the unusual town of Longyearbyen. Here’s how the city’s approximately 2,200 inhabitants live.