Whilst Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in nordic skiing since the 18th century, the first major competition in nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the first Holmenkollen Ski Festival; an event still held annually. The popularity of the combined event was so great that separate ski jumping events weren't held at Holmenkollen until 1933.
The sport was included at the 1924 Winter Olympics, and has been on the programme ever since. World Championships have been held since 1925. However, there is currently no women's competition in the Olympic games.
Traditionally, Norway has always delivered top athletes in the sport, but Finland, Germany, Austria and Japan are also among the top nations in the Nordic combined. Top athletes in the sport include triple Olympic Champion Samppa Lajunen (Finland), Ronny Ackermann (Germany) and John Spillane (USA).
