Ivar Formo (24 June 1951 – 26 December 2006) was a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 cross-country skier

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 who competed during the 1970s. He won four medals at the Winter Olympics. Formo also won two bronze medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...

 in the 4 x 10 km relay (1974

1974 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1974 took place February 16-24, 1974 in Falun, Sweden. This was the second time this city hosted the event having done so in 1954...

, 1978

1978 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1978 took place February 18-26, 1978 in Lahti, Finland. This was Lahti's record fourth time hosting the event after previously doing so in 1926, 1938, and 1958...

). Formo also competed in orienteering

Orienteering

Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...

, winning a bronze medal in the relay at the 1974 world championships

World Orienteering Championships

The World Orienteering Championships were first held in 1966. They were held biennially up to 2003 . Since 2003, competitions have been held annually....

.

He represented the club SFK Lyn

SFK Lyn

Ski- og Fotballklubben Lyn is a Norwegian alliance sports club from Nordre Aker, Oslo. It has two sections; for association football and Nordic skiing. Until 2010 they had a third section, for top-level association football, named FK Lyn...

. He won a number of awards for his accomplishments within sports, notably the Holmenkollen medal

Holmenkollen medal

The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events....

 in 1975 (shared with Gerhard Grimmer

Gerhard Grimmer

Gerhard Grimmer was an East German cross-country skier who competed during the 1960s and 1970s. He won several medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, including golds in the 50 km and the 4 x 10 km relay ; silvers in the 30 km , 4 x 10 km relay , and 15 km ; and...

 and his good friend and rival Oddvar Brå

Oddvar Brå

Oddvar Brå is a Norwegian former cross-country skier. He was among the best skiers in Norway, winner three times og World Cup winning 16 national championships, but his success in the major international championships was more modest...

) and Egebergs Ærespris

Egebergs Ærespris

The Egebergs Ærespris is a prize awarded to Norwegian athletes who excel in more than one sport. The prize was created by Ferdinand Julian Egeberg, and consists of a bronze statuette modelled by sculptor Magnus Vigrestad.-History:...

 in 1973.

In 1979 he was part of the Lyn

SFK Lyn

Ski- og Fotballklubben Lyn is a Norwegian alliance sports club from Nordre Aker, Oslo. It has two sections; for association football and Nordic skiing. Until 2010 they had a third section, for top-level association football, named FK Lyn...

 Jukola orienteering relay

Jukola relay

The Jukola Relay is an orienteering relay race held annually in Finland since 1949. The race always takes place on Saturday between 13th and 19 June in different sites around Finland. The northernmost location has been 50 km north from the Arctic Circle...

 winning team.

After retiring as an athlete he had a successful career as a businessman, and served as chairman of the cross-country committee (1983-1988) in the International Ski Federation

International Ski Federation

The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...

. Formo earned an engineering degree, and was chairman of the board of Ignis at the time of his death.

His unexpected death made headlines in Norway after he was found drowned in the lake Store Sandungen in Nordmarka

Nordmarka

Nordmarka is the mostly forested region which makes up the northern part of Oslo, Norway. The area called "Nordmarka" also extends into the municipalities of Hole, Ringerike, Lunner, Jevnaker and Nittedal. It is the largest part of the Marka borough. The forests are popular sites for hiking and...

, the forests surrounding Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

. He had gone jogging and skating through the area and had most likely fallen through the ice.