Netherlands at the Olympics
The Netherlands first sent athletes to the Olympic Games in 1900, and has participated in almost all Games since then, except for the 1904 Games in St. Louis, which were attended by only a handful of countries due to travel difficulties and limited international participation. Netherlands boycotted the main events of the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, joining several other nations in protest of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Hungary, due the Hungarian Uprising. However, one Dutch rider did take part in the equestrian events, which were held earlier that year in Stockholm, Sweden, due to Australian quarantine laws.
The first individual gold medal at the Summer Games was earned by Maurice Peeters in cycling at the 1920 Summer Olympics, in the men's 1000 metres sprint event. The first gold medal at the Winter Games was earned by Sjoukje Dijkstra in ladies' figure skating at the 1964 Winter Olympics.
Prior to the 1992 Olympics, the country name was "Holland" with the country code of "HOL". From 1992 onward, they have utilized the "Netherlands" and "NED", as an abbreviation of the Dutch name Nederland.
Dutch athletes have won 356 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, with swimming and cycling as the top medal-producing sports. The nation has won another 147 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, of which 133 have come from speed skating.
In addition to its sporting achievements, Netherlands have won medals in one of the three discontinued Olympic non-sport competitions. The country won a total of six medals—2 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze—in the art competitions held during 1924, 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics. These events were once part of the official Olympic program in the early 20th century, between 1912 and 1948.
Hosted Games
The Netherlands hosted the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. The Netherlands submitted a bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, but dropped out after the first selection round when the Dutch bid received only five out of 85 votes cast. The Netherlands had expressed interest in hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics in either Amsterdam or Rotterdam, as a centennial celebration of the 1928 Games. Eventually, no bid came from either city and the Olympics were awarded to Los Angeles.Overview of Olympic participation
Timeline of participation
Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010—a former constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands—the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee lost its Olympic recognition in July 2011. The NAOC had been established in 1931 and was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee from 1950 until its removal in 2011. The Netherlands Antilles competed in the Olympic Games from 1952 to 2008. In 1986, Aruba separated from the Netherlands Antilles to become a distinct constituent country within the Kingdom. From 1952 to 1984, Aruban athletes competed under the Netherlands Antilles, but since 1988, Aruba has participated independently at every Summer Olympics.After the 2010 dissolution, the five islands of the former Netherlands Antilles underwent different constitutional changes: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba became special municipalities of the Netherlands, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten became separate constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Due to the loss of the NAOC’s recognition, athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles were given several options for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. They could:
- compete as Independent Olympic Athletes under the IOC flag,
- represent the Netherlands, or
- represent Aruba, provided they met eligibility requirements.