Norway competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's twenty-fourth appearance at the Summer Olympics, except for the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, because of the United States boycott. With the absence of women's football and handball teams, Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. A total of 53 athletes, 36 men and 17 women, competed only in 12 different sports. There was only a single competitor in badminton, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling.

Sixteen athletes from the Norwegian team had previously competed in Sydney, including Olympic silver medalists Kjersti Plätzer in women's race walk and Olaf Tufte in men's single sculls. At age 51, rifle shooting veteran Harald Stenvaag became the second Norwegian in Summer Olympic history to participate in six Games, tying a record set by sailor Magnus Konow. He was appointed by the National Olympic Committee to carry the Norwegian flag in the opening ceremony. Other notable Norwegian athletes featured kayak pair and world champions Nils Olav Fjeldheim and Eirik Verås Larsen, yachting siblings Christoffer and Siren Sundby, and breaststroke swimmer Alexander Dale Oen, the youngest of the team at age 19.

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