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 swimming Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. The beginning of the modern age of open water swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when Lord Byron swam s ...

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

and synchronized swimming. The federation is based in Nieuwegein and affiliated with the national sports body

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 ...

. The responsibility of the KNZB is to organize and track various events. When a new organization from one of the water sports joins the KNZB they can participate in the competitions governed by the KNZB. They will then be placed on a ranking list.

History

The KNZB was founded on August 14, 1888 by four collaborating swim organizations. At this time the federations responsibility covered only five swim clubs *Arnhemse Zwemclub, *Goudse Zwemclub, *Hollandse Dames Zwemclub, *Leidsche Zwem Club (later LZ 1886) *AZ 1870 (Amsterdamse Zwemclub) In 1888 the federation was named Nederlandse Zwem Bond (“NZB” English: Dutch Swimming Federation). In 1933, federation was renamed to the KNZB gaining the word Koninklijk (Royal in Dutch). In 1909 the KNZB joined the world swimming governing body, FINA which was established one year earlier.

Competition Swimming

Competition swimming is considered a top sport in the Netherlands where swimmers such as

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 ...

, Inge de Bruijn, 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 ...

have brought home Olympic success. All Dutch swimming records are ratified by the KNZB. Virtually all swim clubs of the Netherlands are member of the KNZB. Membership benefits include the right to participate in competitions, discounts to attend courses and liability insurance.

Competitions

There are two national competitions that the KNZB governs. They are: * National Swim Competition * KNZB Long Distance Circuit The objective of the National Swim Competition is for all swim clubs affiliated with the KNZB to participate in a competition against other KNZB clubs with more or less equal strength. The KNZB Long Distance Circuit is designed to simulate swimming over an extended length. The competition promotes swimmers to practice longer distances. Simplified regulations for the individual makes the competition more attractive.

Officials

In order to keep the games fair, all judges are trained under the material of the KNZB. This system uses a ladder style chart for grading officials. Where officials must meet certain requirements before they can move to the next level.

Water Polo

All

games that are associated with the KNZB are eligible to partake in the national league games. The league games determine the ranking of the club.

Diving

The KNZB currently has three competitions set up for diving, in which are: *KNZB All In Competition This competition is classified as the qualification NK-Al. *KNZB Youth Competition This competition is classified as the qualification NJK. *Recreational Competition

References

External links

KNZB Official Site

FINA Official Site
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Aquatics Organisations based in the Netherlands with royal patronage