![Max Verstappen - 2018 Chinese GP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Max_Verstappen_-_2018_Chinese_GP.jpg)
Approximately 5 million of the 17 million people in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
are registered to one of the 35,000 sports clubs in the country. About two thirds of the population older than 15 years participates in sports weekly.
Football (
soccer) is the most popular sport in the Netherlands, with
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
and
korfball
Korfball ( nl, korfbal) is a ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four female players and four male players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless baske ...
as the second and third most popular team sports.
Speed skating
Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skatin ...
,
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
and
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
are the four most widely played individual sports.
[ sport.nl (Figures are from 2005)](_blank)
=177 Fitplein] A number of native Dutch sports are also practiced, such as
fierljeppen
''Fierljeppen'' ( West-Frisian compound of ''fier''—"far" and ''ljeppen''—"leaping") or ''polsstokverspringen'' is a traditional sport of the West Frisian people in the Dutch province of Fryslân. The sport is nowadays also popular in the ...
(Polsstokverspringen),
beugelen,
kaatsen
Frisian handball ( fry, keatsen; nl, kaatsen) is a traditional Frisian sport, related to American handball and fives, that is most commonly practiced by people from the northern Dutch province of Friesland (''Fryslân''). It is believed to be ...
,
klootschieten
Klootschieten (NL) (German: Klootschießen, Bosseln or Boßeln; English: Ball shooting or Road bowling) is a sport in the Netherlands, East Frisia, and Northern Germany, most popular in the eastern regions of Twente and Achterhoek. The game is ...
,
kolven and
korfball
Korfball ( nl, korfbal) is a ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four female players and four male players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless baske ...
.
Organization of sports began at the beginning of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Federations for sports were established (such as the speed skating federation in 1882), rules were unified and sports clubs came into existence. A
Dutch National Olympic Committee was established in 1912. Thus far, the nation has won 230 medals at the
Summer Olympic Games and another 95 medals at the
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
.
An influential figure in Dutch sport was
Pim Mulier. In 1879 he founded the first rugby and football club in the Netherlands, he was involved in forming the first tennis club in 1884, established the predecessor of the
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch Netherlands nati ...
five years later, and introduced field hockey in 1896. He also introduced
bandy. His hometown
Haarlem and the English
Bury Fen Bandy Club
Fen skating is a traditional form of ice skating in the Fenland of England. The Fens of East Anglia, with their easily flooded meadows, form an ideal skating terrain. Bone skates have been found in the area dating back to the medieval period ...
played the first international match.
Team sports
Football
The
Royal Dutch Football Association
The Royal Dutch Football Association (, ; KNVB ) is the governing body of football in the Netherlands. It organises the main Dutch football leagues (Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie), the amateur leagues, the KNVB Cup, and the Dutch Netherlands nati ...
(KNVB) is the largest sports federation in the country with 1,076,759 players (in 2005).
According to the KNVB's website, it has over 1. 2 Million members as of 2016. The organization came into being on December 19, 1899, and was one of the founding members of
FIFA (the world Football Association) in 1904.
Dutch football teams won three
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
bronze medals in 1908, 1912 and 1920. Other successes came in the 1970s, when
the national team played in the 1974 and 1978
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
finals, losing to the tournament's host on both occasions. In the same period,
Dutch league sides Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...
and
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...
won
European Cups from 1970 to 1973. In 1988, the national team won the only international title so far at the
European Championships.
PSV won the European Cup that year too. Ajax won the European Cup again in 1995.
Despite their wealth of individual talent, the Dutch national men team have only been able to claim one trophy in their entire history. This came at the
UEFA Euro 1988
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.
The tournament crowned the Nethe ...
in which they defeated the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
to claim the coveted Henri Delaunay Trophy. In
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
the Dutch national woman team equalized this result when they beat
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, claiming their European title on home ground.
Many Dutch football players have gained international fame, such as
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
,
Marco van Basten,
Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender, midfielder or forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all ...
,
Dennis Bergkamp,
Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Stephan Kluivert (; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch former football player, coach and sporting director. He played as a striker, most notably for AFC Ajax, FC Barcelona and the Netherlands national team.
He was part of Ajax's Golden Gen ...
,
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (anglicised to Van Nistelrooy; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. He is currently the coach of PSV Eindhoven.
A former footballer, Van Nistelrooy is often consi ...
,
Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Clyde Seedorf (; born 1 April 1976) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is regarded by many to be one of the best midfielders of his generation.
Seedorf is considered one of the most successful players in UE ...
,
Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch retired professional footballer. Due to his elite playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime.
A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he st ...
,
Arjen Robben
Arjen Robben (; born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a winger. He was known for his dribbling skills, speed, ball control and long-range shots. Robben is regarded as one of the best players of his gener ...
and
Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation, Van Persie was known for his excellent technique and ball c ...
.
Rinus Michels
Marinus Jacobus Hendricus Michels (; 9 February 1928 – 3 March 2005) was a Dutch football player and coach. He played his entire career for AFC Ajax, which he later managed, and played for and later managed the Netherlands national team ...
was named Coach of the Century by FIFA in 1999. Additional football notoriety came with the Dutch team's participation in the 2010 World Cup finals, in which they lost to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, giving Spain its first World Cup title. In June 2019 the Netherlands reached their 6th major final, where they lost to Portugal in the
UEFA Nations League final. A month later the national woman team reached their first
World Cup Final against
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Football stadiums
Johan Cruyff Arena and
De Kuip
Stadion Feijenoord (), more commonly known by its nickname De Kuip (, the Tub), is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the Feijenoord district in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same na ...
have
UEFA's 5-star rating, enabling them to host finals of the UEFA Champions League and the European Championship.
Baseball
The
Royal Dutch Baseball Federation was established on March 12, 1912. They merged with the softball federation to form the
Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation in 1971 In 2008 there were over 24,000 players active at one of the 184 clubs in the country.
The Netherlands boasts the most successful
national baseball team in Europe, winning the
European Baseball Championship
The European Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in Europe, governed by the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB).
History
Italy won the inaugural European Baseball Championship in , and ...
20 times and frequently representing the continent in international competitions such as the
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...
and
Baseball World Cup
The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two acti ...
. There is a domestic
professional baseball league whose best team,
Neptunus
Neptunus is a baseball and softball club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Following its 2014 championship season, the club signed a sponsorship contract for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons with Curaçao and competes under the name Curaçao Neptun ...
of
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, regularly contends for the
European club championship, including five consecutive titles from 2000 to 2004.
Baseball is especially popular on the island of
Curaçao. In 2005, the Pabao
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[Willemstad
Willemstad ( , ; ; en, William Town, italic=yes) is the capital city of Curaçao, an island in the southern Caribbean Sea that forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was the capital of the Netherlands Antilles pr ...]
advanced all the way to the championship game in the
Little League World Series
The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children—typically boys—aged 10 to 12 years old, held in the Eastern United States. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for the Wor ...
. Former
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
outfielder
Andruw Jones
Andruw Rudolf Jones (; born April 23, 1977) is a Curaçaoan former baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Atlanta Braves. Jones also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers ...
, now of the
Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles
The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping ...
in
Japan's
Pacific League
The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues constituting Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship competes against the winner in the Central League for the annual Japan Series. It currently cons ...
, is arguably the most successful and popular baseball player to emerge from Curaçao, and in 2006 was a member of the
Netherlands national team that participated in the inaugural
World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...
.
Jair Jurrjens, pitcher for the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
, became the first pitcher from Curaçao to pitch in the major leagues.
John Houseman became the first Dutch-born player in the Major Leagues when he made his debut for the
Chicago Colts in 1894.
Bert Blyleven
Bert Blyleven (born Rik Aalbert Blijleven, April 6, 1951) is a Dutch-American former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1970 to 1992, primarily with the Minnesota Twins. Blyleven recorded 3,701 ...
was an
All-Star, a two-time
World Series champion and was elected to the
National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 2009, the Netherlands twice upset the Dominican Republic in the
2009 World Baseball Classic
The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26.
Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference tie ...
. The Dominican Republic's entire roster played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB), while the Netherlands only had one player on an MLB roster. The Dominican teams' combined salary total in the MLB was about $84 million, while the Netherlands totals for $400,000. The Dominican Republic were highly favoured but in its first game against the Dominican, the Dutch won 3–2. The Dominican Republic won its next game against Panama to set up a rematch against the Netherlands. The Dutch stunned the Dominicans again and won 2–1 in extra innings. At the
2013 World Baseball Classic
The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009.
Unlike t ...
the Netherlands performed even better. With a mix of experienced veterans and talented youngsters they progressed through the preliminary rounds to the semi-final, where the team lost to the Dominican Republic. The team again reached the semifinals at the
2017 World Baseball Classic, but again fell one game shy of the championship, losing this time to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
.
Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
is also a popular sport in the Netherlands. The
national team
A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport.
The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
had its most successful time during the 1980s. At the
1983 European Basketball Championship
The 1983 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1983, was the 23rd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It took place from 26 May to 4 June 1983 in France. Italy defeated Spain in the final ...
the team finished in the final four and qualified to the
1986 FIBA World Championship where the Dutch left behind strong competition such as
Team Australia
Team Australia was an auto racing team competing in the V8 Supercars and Champ Car World Series. It was created in early 2005 when two Australian businessmen Craig Gore and John Fish bought into Derrick Walker's Walker Racing operation. After ...
and
Team Germany. During that time, the Dutch had its strong players in
Jelle Esveldt and a young
Rik Smits
Rik Smits (born 23 August 1966), nicknamed "the Dunking Dutchman" is a Dutch former professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The center was drafted by the ...
. Smits later became an
NBA All-Star
The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...
and emerged as the Dutch basketball-icon for years to come.
Since 2000, basketball in the Netherlands went through some revival and has been home to several
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA) players, including
Francisco Elson
Francisco Marinho Robby Elson (born February 28, 1976, in Rotterdam) is a Dutch retired professional basketball player. Elson was the seventh Dutch player to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Elson served as the captain of the ...
and
Dan Gadzuric
Daniel Gadzuric (born February 2, 1978) is a Dutch-Serbian former professional basketball player.
Gadzuric, a center, attended preparatory school at The Governor's Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, before playing college basketball for the Bru ...
.
Field hockey
The
Royal Dutch Hockey Federation was formed on October 8, 1898 and is, with 185,923 members (in 2005), the fifth largest sports federation.
''
Hoofdklasse hockey'' is the country's primary hockey competition since 1970, which is contested by 12 clubs (in both the male and female league).
The
Netherlands women's national field hockey team
The Netherlands' national women's field hockey team is currently number one on the FIH world rankings and the reigning world champion. The Netherlands is the most successful team in World Cup history, having won the title a record nine times. Th ...
is the most successful team in
World Cup history, having won the title six times. At the 2012 London Olympics the women's team made it to the final and went on to beat Argentina. The
Dutch male hockey team has won the
world cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
three times and Olympic gold on two occasions. Several Dutch hockey league clubs have won the
European Cup.
Volleyball
Volleyball is the third most participated team sport in the country. Founded on September 6, 1947, the
Dutch Volleyball Federation is with 128,693 players (in 2005) the ninth largest sports association.
The
A-League is the highest division in which eight men's and women's teams compete for the national championships.
The
national men's team is the most successful exponent, winning the silver medal at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
and the gold medal
four years later in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. The biggest success of the
women's national team was winning the
European Championship in 1995 and the
World Grand Prix in 2007
The Netherlands featured national teams in
beach volleyball that competed at the women's and men's section at the
2018–2020 CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.
Cricket
The
Royal Dutch Cricket Federation was formed in 1883. In 2021 the federation had 5000 members, which indicates that cricket is not very popular in the Netherlands. The premier division is called the ''
Topklasse
The Derde Divisie (; en, Third Division), formerly known as Topklasse (; en, Top Class), is the fourth tier of football in the Netherlands, which had its inaugural season as a third tier in 2010–11 and as a fourth tier in 2016–17. The league ...
'', in which ten teams compete for the national championships.
The
Netherlands national cricket team
The Netherlands national cricket team (Dutch: Nederlandse cricket team) is the men's team that represents the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is administered by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.
Cricket has been played in the Netherlands sin ...
qualified for the
cricket World Cup on four occasions; 1996, 2003, 2007 and
2011. The country has been considered one of the stronger "minnow" nations for some time. Although the sport is sustained by a small player base, some have won professional contracts in England. Netherlands is ranked within the top 15 teams in the world and has co-hosted the
ICC Cricket World Cup
The Cricket World Cup (officially known as ICC Men's Cricket World Cup) is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), ev ...
in 1999.
Most recently at the
2009 World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural ...
in England, the Dutch team made a name for themselves by their victory over hosts, England, in the opening match of the tournament. Though they failed to qualify for the Super Eight stage afterward, their win against England, considered one of the biggest wins in Dutch cricket history, has been recognized as a major step forward in cricket development in the Netherlands and among associate nations.
Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
is also played in the Netherlands. The first rugby club was
HFC, established on September 15, 1879 by the 14-year-old
Pim Mulier, who first encountered the sport in 1870. However HFC switched to association football in 1883. The ''Delftsche Studenten Rugby Club'' was the first official rugby club on September 24, 1918. The
Dutch Rugby Federation was founded on September 7, 1920 but ceased to exist in 1923 due to a lack of clubs. They reorganized on October 1, 1932, six months after the
Netherlands national rugby union team
The Netherlands national rugby union team ( nl, Nederlands nationaal rugby team) represents Netherlands in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed The Oranges (''Oranje''), is considered one of the stronger tier 3 teams in Europ ...
played their first match against Belgium. The Dutch Rugby Federation has grown from 8,000 registered players in 2007 to 15,000 players in 2019.
Korfball
Korfball
Korfball ( nl, korfbal) is a ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. It is played by two teams of eight players with four female players and four male players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball into a netless baske ...
is a mixed gender or only female
ball sport, with similarities to
netball
Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...
and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
. It is played by two teams of eight players with four females and four males in each team or with eight female players in each team. The objective is to throw a ball through a bottomless basket that is mounted on a high pole. Mixed gender korfball is more generally played in the north of the Netherlands, while all female korfball is generally played in the south of the Netherlands.
The sport was invented by
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
schoolteacher
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
Nico Broekhuysen
Nicolaas Broekhuijsen (; Dordrecht, December 30, 1876 – Hilversum May 13, 1958), better known as Nico Broekhuysen, was a Dutch teacher, who is known as the inventor of korfball.
He was a teacher at Oisterwijk and later Nijmegen and then Amste ...
in 1902. In the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, there are around 580 clubs and over 100,000 people playing korfball. The sport is also very popular in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, and is played in 54 other countries.
The Dutch korfball union is called Koninklijk Nederlands Korfbalverbond (KNKV).
Handball
While
the men's national handball team has only qualified for the World Championship once and also once for the European Championship and never for the Olympic Games,
the women's team have been more successful, with a gold medal at the
2019 World Women's Handball Championship
The 2019 IHF World Women's Handball Championship, the 24th event hosted by the International Handball Federation, was held in Japan from 30 November to 15 December 2019.
The Netherlands won their first title after defeating Spain in the final.
...
as the best result.
Bandy
In terms of licensed athletes,
bandy is the second biggest winter sport in the world.
Bandy was introduced to the Netherlands in the 1890s and enjoyed some following for a couple of decades before ice hockey took over as the most popular winter team sport in the 1920s. However, bandy lived on in the Netherlands, and in the 1970s, it got a more organised form again.
Bandy Bond Nederland became the first non-founding member of
Federation of International Bandy
The Federation of International Bandy (FIB; french: Fédération internationale de bandy, russian: Международная федерация хоккея с мячом, sv, Internationella Bandyförbundet) is the international governing bo ...
in 1973.
The national team plays in Division B of
the World Championships.
Lacrosse
For the first time, the Netherlands will feature a national team at the 2022
Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships The Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships (U-19) are held separately for men and women every four years to award world championships for the under-19 age group in men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse. The tournaments are sanctioned by World Lacrosse ...
.
Individual sports
Cycling
![Marianne Vos Hoogerheide](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Marianne_Vos_Hoogerheide.jpg)
The
Royal Dutch Cycling Union
The Royal Dutch Cycling Union or KNWU (in Dutch: ''Koninklijke Nederlandsche Wielren Unie'') is the national governing body of cycle racing in the Netherlands.
The aim of the KNWU is to give adequate support for all types of cycling in the Nether ...
was instituted on January 26, 1928. Two Dutch road racing cyclists have won the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
:
Jan Janssen
Johannes Adrianus "Jan" Janssen (; born 19 May 1940) is a Dutch former professional cyclist (1962–1972). He was world champion and winner of the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, the first Dutch rider to win either. He rode the Tour de ...
and
Joop Zoetemelk
Hendrik Gerardus Joseph "Joop" Zoetemelk (; born 3 December 1946) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He started and finished the Tour de France 16 times, which were both records when he retired. He also holds the distance record in T ...
. In 2017,
Tom Dumoulin
Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
won the
Giro d'Italia, becoming the first Dutchman to win the race and the first Dutch
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tut ...
winner since Zoetemelk's Tour win in 1980. Seven Dutch men have been World Champion on the road (
Theo Middelkamp (1947),
Jan Janssen
Johannes Adrianus "Jan" Janssen (; born 19 May 1940) is a Dutch former professional cyclist (1962–1972). He was world champion and winner of the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, the first Dutch rider to win either. He rode the Tour de ...
(1964),
Harm Ottenbros
Harm Ottenbros (27 June 1943 – 4 May 2022) was a Dutch road bicycle racer who raced as a professional from 1967 to 1976. His sporting career began with DTS Zaandam. Ottenbros is best remembered for capturing the gold medal and rainbow jersey ...
(1969),
Hennie Kuiper
Hendrikus Andreas "Hennie" Kuiper (born 3 February 1949) is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist. His career includes a gold medal in the Olympic road race at Munich in 1972, becoming world professional road race champion in 1975, a ...
(1975),
Gerrie Knetemann
Gerard Friedrich "Gerrie" Knetemann (6 March 1951 in Amsterdam – 2 November 2004 in Bergen, North Holland) was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship. He wore the Yellow Jersey early in each Tour de France for four ...
(1978),
Jan Raas
Jan Raas (born 8 November 1952) is a Dutch former professional cyclist whose 115 wins include the 1979 World Road Race Championship in Valkenburg, he also won the Tour of Flanders in 1979 and 1983, Paris–Roubaix in 1982 and Milan–San Remo in ...
(1979),
Joop Zoetemelk
Hendrik Gerardus Joseph "Joop" Zoetemelk (; born 3 December 1946) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He started and finished the Tour de France 16 times, which were both records when he retired. He also holds the distance record in T ...
(1985)), but only one Dutchman has won the time trial World Championship
Tom Dumoulin
Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...
(2017). Eight women have been road race World Champions (
Keetie van Oosten-Hage
Cornelia (Keetie) Hage, known by her married name Keetie van Oosten-Hage, (born 21 August 1949) is a Dutch former cyclist from Sint-Maartensdijk, Zeeland. She came from a family of cyclists, sister of Bella Hage, Heleen Hage and Ciska Hage, ...
(1968, 1976),
Tineke Fopma
Tineke "Trijntje" Fopma (born 21 July 1953) is a retired Dutch cyclist who was active between 1973 and 1981. She won the road race at the 1975 UCI Road World Championships
The 1975 UCI Road World Championships took place from 27 to 31 August 197 ...
(1975),
Petra de Bruijn (1979),
Leontien van Moorsel
Leontien Martha Henrica Petronella Zijlaard-van Moorsel (born 22 March 1970) is a Dutch retired racing cyclist. She was a dominant cyclist in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning four gold medals at the Olympic Games and holding the hour record ...
(1991, 1993),
Marianne Vos
Marianne Vos (; born 13 May 1987) is a Dutch multi-discipline cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam .
After winning a junior European and World Championship in road racing, she continued her success in senior cycling by becomin ...
(2006, 2012, 2013),
Chantal Blaak
Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (née Blaak; born 22 October 1989) is a Dutch road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . In 2017 she became world road race champion in Bergen, Norway.
Career Junior career
Van den Broek- ...
(2017),
Anna van der Breggen
Anna van der Breggen (born 18 April 1990) is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2021 for Team Flexpoint, , and . She won the gold medal in the women's road race at the 2016 Summer Olympics ...
(2018, 2020) and
Annemiek van Vleuten
Annemiek van Vleuten (born 8 October 1982) is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam .
Van Vleuten is a two-time winner of both the road race (2019 and 2022) and the time trial (2017 and 2018) at the UC ...
(2019)) and four have been World Champions in the time trial (
Leontien van Moorsel
Leontien Martha Henrica Petronella Zijlaard-van Moorsel (born 22 March 1970) is a Dutch retired racing cyclist. She was a dominant cyclist in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning four gold medals at the Olympic Games and holding the hour record ...
(1998, 1999),
Ellen van Dijk
Eleonora Maria "Ellen" van Dijk (; born 11 February 1987) is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Besides road cycling she was also a track cyclist until 2012. Van Dijk is known as a tim ...
(2013),
Annemiek van Vleuten
Annemiek van Vleuten (born 8 October 1982) is a Dutch professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam .
Van Vleuten is a two-time winner of both the road race (2019 and 2022) and the time trial (2017 and 2018) at the UC ...
(2017, 2018) and
Anna van der Breggen
Anna van der Breggen (born 18 April 1990) is a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2009 and 2021 for Team Flexpoint, , and . She won the gold medal in the women's road race at the 2016 Summer Olympics ...
(2020)). At the Olympic Games the Netherlands has won 18 gold medals in cycling (9 in road cycling, 8 in track cycling and 1 in mountain biking). Only three countries won more gold cycling medals at the Olympics.
Erik Dekker won the 2001 Cycling World Cup.
Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel (born 19 January 1995) is a Dutch cyclist who rides for the UCI ProTeam . He competes in the cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, gravel cycling, and road bicycle racing disciplines of the sport and is best known for winnin ...
is a three-time world champion in
cyclo-cross and Dutch women have won more medals than any other country at the
cyclo-cross World championships.
Ice skating
![Speed skating in the Netherlands](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Speed_skating_in_the_Netherlands.jpg)
The
Royal Dutch Skating Federation was formed on September 17, 1882. With 161,673 members they are the seventh largest sports federation (in 2005).
Speed skating
The first official known speed skating competition ever for women was held in
Leeuwarden
Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Stadsfries dialects, Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Fri ...
from 1 to 2 February 1805 and was won by
Trijntje Pieters Westra.
[ 1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis]
After a successful period around 1900, with
Jaap Eden
Jacobus Johannes "Jaap" Eden (; 19 October 1873 – 2 February 1925) was a Dutch athlete. He is the only male athlete to win world championships in both speed skating and bicycle racing.
Early life
Jaap Eden was born in Groningen to Johannes ...
and
Coen de Koning as World Champions, Dutch speed skating successes became numerous in the 1960s. Champions
Kees Verkerk
Cornelis Arie "Kees" Verkerk (born 28 October 1942) is a former speed skater from the Netherlands. and
Ard Schenk were immensely popular, causing a real speed skating hype in the country. Successes continue up to today, with the likes of
Yvonne van Gennip
Yvonne Maria Therèse van Gennip (born 1 May 1964) is one of the most successful female Dutch all-round speed skaters. Her main success dates from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where she unexpectedly won three gold medals. She was the ...
(3 Olympic gold medals in 1988),
Rintje Ritsma
Robert Rintje Ritsma (born 13 April 1970) is a Dutch former long track speed skater. His nickname is the ''Beer van Lemmer'', which translates to the Bear from Lemmer, analogous to Igor Zhelezovski's nickname "The Bear from Minsk", both of which ...
(4-time World
Allround Champion),
Jochem Uytdehaage
Jochem Simon Uytdehaage (born 9 July 1976) is a Dutch former long track speed skater who won two Olympic gold medals in Salt Lake City and was the 2002 World Allround champion. He retired in 2007 at the age of 30, following two consecutive seas ...
(2 Olympic gold medals in 2002),
Marianne Timmer (3 Olympic gold medals in 1998 and 2006),
Ireen Wüst
Irene Karlijn (Ireen) Wüst (; born 1 April 1986) is a Dutch former long track speed skater. Wüst became the most successful speed skating olympian ever by achieving at least one gold medal in each of five consecutive Winter Olympic appearances ...
(5 Olympic golds in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 6
World Allround Speed Skating Championships The World Allround Speed Skating Championships are a series of speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of the world. The event is held over two days, with all skaters entering the first three distances (500 m, ...
) and
Sven Kramer (4 Olympic gold medals in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 9 World Allround Championships). The Dutch speed skaters' performance at the
2014 Winter Olympics, where they won 8 out of 12 events, 23 out of 36 medals, including 4 clean sweeps, is the most dominant performance in a single sport in Olympic history.
Thialf
Thialf is an ice arena in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Thialf consists of the Thialf-hal (a 12,500-capacity speed skating venue) and the Elfstedenhal (a 2,500-capacity ice hockey venue). Thialf is used for long track speed skating, short track spee ...
Stadium in
Heerenveen
Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...
was the second indoor 400m speed skating oval in the world, the first to host an international championship and remains a world-class facility today.
Dutch speed skaters have won 77 world single distance championships (since 1996).
Figure skating
Sjoukje Dijkstra
Sjoukje Rosalinde Dijkstra (, born 28 January 1942) is a Dutch former competitive figure skater. She is the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies' singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (1962–1964), five-time Europe ...
is the most successful Dutch
figure skater, winning the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
three times, the
European Championships five times and two Olympic medals. Her Olympic gold in 1964 in
Innsbruck was the first time an athlete from the Netherlands won gold at an Olympic Winter Games.
Dianne de Leeuw
Dianne Margaret de Leeuw (born 19 November 1955) is a Dutch- American former competitive figure skater who represented the Netherlands. She is the 1975 World champion, the 1976 European champion, and the 1976 Olympic silver medalist.
Persona ...
won the silver medal in figure skating at the
1976 Winter Olympics
The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a ...
.
Tennis
The
Royal Dutch Tennis Federation was founded on June 5, 1899 and is, with 709,277 members (in 2005), the second largest sports federation in the Netherlands.
One of the most successful tennis players was
Tom Okker
Tom or TOM may refer to:
* Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name)
Characters
* Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head''
* Tom Beck, a character ...
, nicknamed The Flying Dutchman who was ranked among the world's top 10 singles players for seven consecutive years from 1968 through 1974, reaching a career high of World No. 3 in 1969.
Betty Stöve
Betty Flippina Stöve (born 24 June 1945) is a Dutch former professional tennis player. She is best remembered for reaching the ladies' singles final, the ladies' doubles final and the mixed doubles final during the same year at Wimbledon in 19 ...
reached the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon in 1977 and won 10 Grand Slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles between 1972 and 1981.
Also noticeable is
Richard Krajicek, who won
Wimbledon in 1996, and the
Paul Haarhuis
Paul Vincent Nicholas Haarhuis (born 19 February 1966) is a Dutch former professional tennis player. He is a former world No. 1 doubles player, having reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 in November 1995. He won six Grand Sl ...
/
Jacco Eltingh doubles team, which won five
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
titles and two
world championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
.
Esther Vergeer
Esther Mary Vergeer (; born 18 July 1981) is a Dutch former professional wheelchair tennis player. Vergeer won 48 major titles (21 in singles and 27 in doubles), 23 year-end championships (14 consecutive in singles and nine in doubles), and ...
is a four-time
Paralympics tennis champion.
Netherlands is home to several tennis tournaments, including The
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The Rotterdam Open, also known by its sponsored name ABN AMRO Open, and formely known as: ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (1991-2021), is a professional men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is part of the ATP Tour 500 series ...
in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
, one of the best visited indoor tournaments in the world.
Athletics
The
Royal Dutch Athletics Association came into existence on April 28, 1901 and is, with 108,934 members (in 2005), the 13th largest sports federation.
Most successful competitor was
Fanny Blankers-Koen
Francina "Fanny" Elsje Blankers-Koen (26 April 1918 – 25 January 2004) was a Dutch track and field athlete, best known for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She competed there as a 30-year-old mother of two, earn ...
, who won four gold medals at the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
. In 1999, she was voted "Female Athlete of the Century" by the
International Association of Athletics Federations
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...
. Other notable athletes include
Nelli Cooman
Cornelli "Nelli" Antoinette Hariëtte Cooman (born 6 June 1964) is a former Dutch athlete of Surinamese origin. At the 60 metres, she is two-time World indoor champion, six-time European indoor champion and former world record holder, running ...
,
Elly van Hulst,
Rens Blom
Rens Blom (born 1 March 1977) is a Dutch retired Athletics (sport), athlete competing in pole vault.
Life
Blom was born in Munstergeleen. He achieved a vault of 5.75 as early as in 2000, but five years passed without much further progress. Howev ...
, Henk Evers,
Tinus Osendarp
Martinus "Tinus" Bernardus Osendarp (21 May 1916 – 20 June 2002) was a Dutch sprint runner.
Sporting career
Osendarp was a football player and started training in sprint for fun. His first international success came at the 1934 European Champi ...
,
Chris Berger
Christiaan David "Chris" Berger (27 April 1911 – 12 September 1965) was a Dutch athlete, competing in the sprints.
Career
Berger was a football player and changed to running after winning a 100 national title among footballers. In 1930 he ra ...
,
Tollien Schuurman
Tollina Wilhelmina "Tollien" Schuurman (20 January 1913 – 29 January 1994) was a Dutch sprint runner who set three world records in the 100 m and 200 m events between 1930 and 1933. She competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics in the 100 m and ...
,
Ellen van Langen
Ellen Gezina Maria van Langen (born 9 February 1966) is a Dutch former middle distance runner, who specialised in the 800 metres. A talented but injury-ridden athlete, she was the 1992 Olympic Champion for the women's 800 meters. She is now ...
,
Ria Stalman
Maria "Ria" Geertruida Stalman (born 11 December 1951) is a retired discus thrower and shot putter from the Netherlands.
Biography
She won the gold medal in the discus throw at the 1984 Summer Olympics, which earned her the Dutch Sportswoman ...
,
Gerard Nijboer
Gerhardus Marinus Maria Nijboer (born 18 August 1955) is a former Dutch long-distance runner. Nijboer competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1980 (Moscow, Soviet Union), when he won the silver medal in the marathon. He bec ...
,
Rutger Smith
Rutger Smith (born 9 July 1981 in Groningen) is a retired Dutch track and field athlete who competed in the shot put and discus throw. He is the first athlete to win medals at the World Championships in both events. He represented the Netherlan ...
,
Maria Gommers
Maria ("Mia") Francisca Philomena Hoogakker-Gommers (born 26 September 1939) is a retired Dutch athlete, who competed mainly in the 800 metres. She was the second female world record-holder over 1500 metres in October 1967 at Sittard (The Nethe ...
,
Bertha Brouwer
Bertha "Puck" Brouwer (later van Duyne; 29 October 1930 – 6 October 2006) was a Dutch sprinter.
Brouwer accomplished her first international notable result in 1950, when she won the silver medal at the European Championships, being part of ...
,
Lien Gisolf
Carolina Anna "Lien" Gisolf (13 July 1910 – 30 May 1993) was a Dutch high jumper. She won a silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics and finished fourth in 1932.
Her talent was discovered during school competition in 1926, when it turned out t ...
,
Dafne Schippers and
Sifan Hassan
Sifan Hassan ( om, Siifan Hassan; born 1 January 1993) is an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She completed an unprecedented triple at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics winning gold medals in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres, ...
.
Equestrianism
The
Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation in its present form was founded after a fusion on January 1, 2002. It is the sixth largest sports federation in the country, with 180,023 members in 2005.
Numerous Dutch horseback riders have become world and Olympic champions in their field, including
Charles Pahud de Mortanges
Charles Ferdinand Pahud de Mortanges (13 May 1896 in The Hague – 7 April 1971 in The Hague) was a Dutch horse rider who competed at the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics and was the flag bearer for the Netherlands in 1932. He is only ...
,
Anky van Grunsven,
Jos Lansink
Jozeph Johannes Gerardus Marinus "Jos" Lansink (born 19 March 1961 in Weerselo) is an equestrian from the Netherlands, currently representing Belgium, who competes in the sport of show jumping.[Piet Raymakers
Petrus Josephus "Piet" Raijmakers (born 29 September 1956, in Asten) is a former equestrian from the Netherlands.
Raijmakers won the gold medal in the show jumping team event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He did so al ...]
,
Jeroen Dubbeldam
Jeroen Dubbeldam (15 April 1973 in Zwolle) is a Dutch show jumping champion.
Dubbeldam competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, where he won a gold medal in Individual Jumping on the horse De Sjiem. and
Gerco Schröder.
Golf
Joost Luiten
Willibrordus Adrianus Maria "Joost" Luiten (born 7 January 1986) is a Dutch professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Early life and amateur career
Luiten was born in Bleiswijk and started playing golf at 6 years old at Golf Centrum ...
has won four tournaments in the
European Tour
The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fi ...
, also he has represented Europe at the 2013 Seve Trophy and 2014 EurAsia Cup. Meanwhile,
Christel Boeljon has four wins in the
Ladies European Tour and represented Europe at the 2011 Solheim Cup.
The national professional golf tournaments in the Netherlands are the
KLM Open
The Dutch Open is an annual golf tournament played in the Netherlands, and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the Tour was inaugurated in 1972.
History and sponsorship
Founded in 1912, the tournament began as the Dutch Open, be ...
(European Tour),
Dutch Ladies Open
The Dutch Ladies Open is a women's professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour that is played in the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, ...
(Ladies European Tour) and
Dutch Senior Open
The Dutch Senior Open was a men's golf tournament on the European Senior Tour. It was held at the Royal Haagsche Golf & Country Club in The Hague, Netherlands from 2010 to 2012. In 2013 it moved to The International, Badhoevedorp near Amsterdam ...
(
European Senior Tour
The Legends Tour is the current branding of the European Senior Tour, a professional tour for male golfers aged 50 and over, run by the PGA European Tour. The tour was branded as the Staysure Tour for the 2018 and 2019 seasons after UK-based insu ...
).
Rowing
Swimming
Formed on August 14, 1888, The
Royal Dutch Swimming Federation
The Royal Dutch Swimming Federation ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Zwem Bond, “KNZB”) is the official governing body for swimming, in the Netherlands. The federation overlooks several other sports including competition swimming, open water sw ...
has 148,599 members and is the eight largest sports federation.
Famous competitors include
Rie Mastenbroek, who won the gold medal at the
1936 Summer Olympics in the 100 m
freestyle, 400 m and 4 × 100 m freestyle. Recent champions include triple
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
gold medalists
Pieter van den Hoogenband
Pieter Cornelis Martijn van den Hoogenband (; born 14 March 1978) is a Dutch retired swimmer. He is a triple Olympic champion and former world record holder.
Early life
Born in Maastricht, Limburg, he is the son of Cees-Rein van den Hoogenban ...
and
Ranomi Kromowidjojo
Ranomi Kromowidjojo (; born 20 August 1990) is a retired Dutch swimmer of mixed Dutch- Javanese Surinamese origin who mainly specialises in sprint freestyle events. She is a triple Olympic champion, winning the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m free ...
, four-time Olympic champion
Inge de Bruijn
Inge de Bruijn (; born 24 August 1973) is a Dutch former competitive swimmer. She is a four-time Olympic champion and a former world record-holder.
Personal
De Bruijn was born in Barendrecht, Netherlands. Inge is the sister of Olympic water ...
, and the current world record holder of the 50 metres freestyle,
Marleen Veldhuis
Magdalena Johanna Maria "Marleen" Veldhuis (born 29 June 1979) is a retired swimmer from the Netherlands. She was world record holder in four events (one individual event and three relay events). Veldhuis won eight world championships gold medals ...
.
Judo
The
Dutch Judo Federation in its current form was instituted on September 15, 1979.
Anton Geesink was the first non-Japanese competitor to become World Champion in
Judo
is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...
in 1961. Other notable judoka include
Angelique Seriese,
Wim Ruska,
Dennis van der Geest
Dennis van der Geest (; born 27 June 1975) is a Dutch judoka, who won the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight (+ 100 kg) division at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was born in Haarlem, North Holland.
In 2005, he became the world judo ...
and
Mark Huizinga
Mark Huizinga (born 10 September 1973) is a Dutch judoka and Olympic champion.
Huizinga was born in Vlaardingen, South Holland in Netherlands in 1973. He won the gold medal in the men's under 90 kg class at the 2000 Summer Olympics by d ...
.
Kickboxing
Jan Plas
Jan Plas (16 March 19451 September 2010) was a Dutch professional kickboxer, trainer and founder of the Mejiro Gym in Amsterdam. He is considered to be the father of kickboxing in the Netherlands.
Career
Plas began his career in martial arts i ...
, who learned kickboxing from Kenji Kurosaki, brought kickboxing to the Netherlands in 1978 where he founded
Mejiro Gym
Mejiro Gym is a kickboxing gym headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The gym is considered the "birthplace" of Dutch kickboxing.
History
Mejiro Gym was founded in 1978 by Jan Plas, a Dutch kickboxer who learned kickboxing from Kenji Kurosa ...
and the NKBB (The Dutch Kickboxing Association). Ever since its inception in 1993, Dutch kickboxers have dominated the
K-1 scene, causing "
Wimbledon effects", with two record holding title champions
Ernesto Hoost
Ernesto Frits Hoost (born 11 July 1965) is a Dutch retired kickboxer. A four-time K-1 World Champion, Hoost is considered to be one of the greatest kickboxers of all time. Debuting in 1993 at the K-1 World Grand Prix 1993, where he came just on ...
and
Semmy Schilt
Sem "Semmy" Schilt (; born 27 October 1973) is a Dutch former kickboxer, Ashihara karateka and mixed martial artist. He stands 212 cm and weighs 171 kg. He is a four-time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion and one-time Glory Heavyweight Grand Slam ...
, other world champions and contenders include
Peter Aerts
Peter Aerts (born 25 October 1970) is a Dutch semi-retired kickboxer. Known for his devastating high kicks, which earned him the nickname "The Dutch Lumberjack", he is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time ...
,
Remy Bonjasky
Remy Kenneth Bonjasky (born January 10, 1976) is a Surinamese-Dutch former kickboxer. He is a three-time K-1 World Grand Prix heavyweight champion, winning the title in 2003, 2004, and 2008. Bonjasky has been known for his flying kicks, knee att ...
, Andy Souwer, Albert Kraus, Rob Kaman, Ramon Dekkers, Alistair Overeem, Badr Hari, Rico Verhoeven and many more world champion. The Netherlands are considered as the best country in the world for kickboxing.
Walking
Walking on a defined route as part of an organised event is a popular activity in the Netherlands. The main national walking organisation is the Royal Dutch Walking Association (Koninklijke Wandel Bond Nederland, or KWBN), which is affiliated to the NOC*NSF, Dutch Olympic Committee/Dutch Sports Federation. KWBN affiliated groups organise over 1,500 events a year, attracting an estimated 500,000 participants. This includes the annual International Four Days Marches Nijmegen, Nijmegen Four Day Marches, which has nearly 50,000 participants from around the world. Although these events are non-competitive, the KWBN promote walking as a sport, in order to "contribute to a healthier, fitter and more vital Netherlands”.
Other notable athletes
* Jan Lammers is a former Formula One driver, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Jaguar Cars, Jaguar in 1988.
* Jan de Rooy is a Truck racing, rally truck driver, with his TurboTwin DAF Trucks, DAF racing truck he won the truck category of the Dakar Rally in 1987 Dakar Rally, 1987 and also finished 11th overall.
* Hans Stacey is a Rallying, rally car driver. Won in 2007 Dakar Rally, 2007 the Dakar Rally for trucks with his MAN SE, MAN truck.
* Raymond van Barneveld Former world #1 dart player, 5 time World Dart Champion.
* Auto racing driver Arie Luyendyk is a twice winner of the Indianapolis 500.
* Rowing (sport), Rower Nico Rienks was awarded the prestigious Thomas Keller Medal by the International Rowing Federation in 2004.
*
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player
Rik Smits
Rik Smits (born 23 August 1966), nicknamed "the Dunking Dutchman" is a Dutch former professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The center was drafted by the ...
was selected for the NBA All-Star Game in 1998 NBA All-Star Game, 1998, and helped the Indiana Pacers reach their only 2000 NBA Finals, NBA final in 2000.
* Michael van Gerwen World #1 dart player, 2014, 2017 & 2019 PDC World Dart Champion.
* Ryan Ten Doeschate the Dutch cricketer has the highest batting average in One Day International, ODI Cricket. In January 2011, ten Doeschate was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2011 Auction, becoming the first Associate player to win an IPL contract. In 2012, he also became the first and till date the only Dutchman to win the Indian Premier League with KKR.
* Max Verstappen is a Formula One driver who became first dutch F1 champion and who became the youngest driver in the history of the sport when he made his debut in 2015 at the age of 17. In 2016 he took his first win at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the youngest winner of an F1 Grand Prix in history and the first Dutch F1 race winner. He is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen.
* Vivianne Miedema is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for FA WSL club Arsenal and the Netherlands women's national football team. She has scored more goals at international level for the Netherlands than any other player, across both the women’s and men’s teams.
See also
*Netherlands at the Olympics
*Dutch Sportsman of the year, The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
References
External links
NL Planet – Sport in the Netherlands
{{Sport in Europe
Sport in the Netherlands,