The Kingdom Games ( nl, Koninkrijksspelen, pap, Weganan di Reino) was a multi-sport event, held every two years between the youth of the countries in the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

. At the final edition in 2009, these countries were 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 ...

, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. The 2010

dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010. After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean— Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—becam ...

led to the cancellation of the 2011 and 2013 editions of the Games, and ultimately the Games were discontinued in 2014. In addition to creating a sportive atmosphere, respect and fraternization were also central themes of the Games. The contact between the countries and their cultures was the main theme.Kingdom Games
, koninkrijksspelen.org

History

The first ever Kingdom Games were held in 1965. It was an attempt to bring the parts of the Kingdom closer together. These parts were the Netherlands, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. In 1975, Suriname gained independence and did no longer take part in the Games. Between 1979 and 1983, the Games included the Netherlands and the Antilles.Press notification on July 14, 2007
, koninkrijksspelen.org In 1995, the Games were refounded by former swimmer and politician

Erica Terpstra Erica Georgina Terpstra (born 26 May 1943) is a retired 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 commun ...

to bring the youth of the countries closer together.

Locations of the Games

*1995: Aruba *1997: Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles) *1999:

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the nort ...

(Netherlands Antilles) *2001:

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 ...

(Netherlands) *2003: Aruba *2005:

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 ...

(Netherlands Antilles) *2007:

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

(Netherlands) *2009: Aruba *2011: Curaçao – ''cancelled''

Popularity

In the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, the Games were popular. In 2005, the Ergilio Hato-stadion in Curaçao was almost sold out during the opening ceremony. It was much less popular in the Netherlands. In 2007, the opening ceremony was not held in a stadium but at the Spuiplein. A few thousand people showed up, and the events were visited by several hundreds of people per day.Publiekstrekker ontbreekt; interesse voor Koninkrijksspelen in Nederland nooit groot geweest'', d.d. 21 July 2007
algemeendagblad.nl

Sports

The following sports were scheduled at the Games: *

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

Bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...

* Football *

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"). ...

Softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

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 ...

The strength of the team of the Netherlands used to be adjusted to the strength of the other teams, because normally the level of the Dutch team would have been much higher compared to the other participants. The Dutch normally participated with regional teams or younger sportspeople to close the gap in quality.

Participating teams

* * * * – Participated between 1965 and 1975 until independence.

References

External links

NOC-NSF site
General info on the Games from the

NOC*NSF The Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation, ( nl, Nederlands Olympisch Comité*Nederlandse Sport Federatie) generally abbreviated NOC*NSF, is the overall coordinating Dutch sports organization that also functions as the Dutch National O ...

. {{Multi-sport events

Recurring sporting events established in 1995 Sports competitions in the Netherlands Youth sport in the Netherlands