ABSTRACT
This chapter explains and examines the unique approach to athlete development in Norwegian handball. It provides a brief review of the applied athlete development model in Norwegian handball. Athlete development in Norwegian handball provides an example of how participation, development, and performance are not considered as distinct, separate or parallel concerns. The structure of Norwegian handball emerges from the interplay between club-based practice and competition, sport school programmes, and regional athlete development initiatives provided by the National Handball Federation. The multi-centric and loosely nested athlete development model of Norwegian handball makes pathways to the elite level highly variable. While structured talent development, such as youth international team activities, clearly influence elite sport development, there are still multiple pathways to the elite level in Norwegian handball.
