It was founded on 3 September 1893 as Kristiania Idrætsforening, partly on the ruins of the clubs Dovre, Kristiania SF and SF Ørnen. The main sports were athletics, speed skating and Nordic skiing. Its first sports field was at Klosterengen in Gamle Oslo, later a speed skating track at Frognerjordet.[1] In 1907 a field at Bislett was secured for the future Bislett stadion, by the club's foremost administrator Martinus Lørdahl.[2] The club changed its name to Oslo Idrettslag after the city Kristiania in 1924 changed its name to Oslo.
The club had some of the winningest athletes in Norway, mainly before the Second World War. By 1933, the men from Kristiania IF/Oslo IL had won 134 Norwegian championship titles as well as 13 in relay. The winningest athlete on the domestic level was Kaare Bache with eleven championships.[4] He was a 1920 Olympian.[5]Ferdinand Bie was a 1912 Olympic champion in pentathlon.[6]Edvard Larsen won an Olympic bronze in 1908 and competed in 1912.[7]