After qualifying for 11 straight World Finals between 1970 and 1981 (he was a reserve in 1980), Olsen missed the 1982 World Final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, his run ending when he scored only 4 points and finished 15th in the InterContinental Final at Vetlanda in Sweden. Olsen qualified for what would be his last Final in 1983 at the Motodrom Halbemond in Norden, West Germany. One of four Danes in the final along with Erik Gundersen, Hans Nielsen and reserve rider Peter Ravn, Olsen finished in 6th place with 10 points. Gundersen finished 4th, also on 10 points, while Nielsen's chance of finishing second or third ended when he suffered an engine failure whilst leading in his final heat. Had Nielsen won or finished second in his final heat (won by West Germany's Egon Müller who won his only World Championship by being undefeated on the day), he would have forced a run-off with either second placed Aussie Billy Sanders or third placed Michael Lee.