View source for Sport in the Netherlands

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
[[File:FIFA World Cup 2010 Final Netherlands team.JPG|thumb|Men's national football team]]
[[File:20130908 Volleyball EM 2013 by Olaf Kosinsky-0503.jpg|thumb|Women's national volleyball team]]
[[File:Peter-Aerts.jpg|thumb| [[Peter Aerts]] considered to be one of the greatest [[Kickboxing|kickboxers]] ever.]]
[[File:Trappers-Kemphanen Finale.jpg|thumb|Match of the Eredivisie ice hockey league]]
[[File:Sven Kramer 2007.jpg|thumb|[[Sven Kramer]], speed skater]]
[[File:Netherlands national baseball team on March 8, 2013.jpg|thumb|The [[Netherlands national baseball team]] during the [[2013 World Baseball Classic]].]]
[[File:Max Verstappen - 2018 Chinese GP.jpg|thumb|[[Max Verstappen]], Formula One World Champion driver for [[Red Bull Racing]].]]
Approximately 5 million of the 17 million people in the [[Netherlands]] 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.<ref>[http://www.ned.univie.ac.at/non/landeskunde/nl/h11/index.htm {{in lang|nl}} Sport in Nederland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115201030/http://www.ned.univie.ac.at/non/landeskunde/nl/h11/index.htm |date=2008-01-15 }}</ref>

[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular '''sport in the Netherlands''', with [[field hockey]] and [[volleyball]] as the second and third most popular team sports. [[Speed skating]], [[cycle sport|cycling]], [[tennis]] and [[golf]] are the four most widely played individual sports.<ref name="sport">[http://www.sport.nl/content/nieuwsartikelen/nocnsf/223198?channel=nocnsf {{in lang|nl}} sport.nl (Figures are from 2005)] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070812034648/http://www.sport.nl/content/nieuwsartikelen/nocnsf/223198?channel=nocnsf |date=2007-08-12 }}</=177 {{in lang|nl}} Fitplein]</ref> A number of native Dutch sports are also practiced, such as [[fierljeppen]] (polsstokverspringen), [[beugelen]], [[kaatsen]], [[klootschieten]], [[kolven]] and [[korfball]].

Organization of sports began at the end 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 [[NOC*NSF|Dutch National Olympic Committee]] was established in 1912. Thus far, the nation has won 356 medals at the [[Summer Olympic Games]] and another 147 medals at the [[Winter Olympic Games]].

An influential figure in Dutch sport was [[Pim Mulier]]. In 1879, he founded the first rugby and football club in the Netherlands, and he was involved in forming the first tennis club in 1884. He also established the predecessor of the [[Royal Dutch Football Association]] five years later, and introduced field hockey in 1896, as well as  [[bandy]]. His hometown [[Haarlem#Sports|Haarlem]] and the English [[Bury Fen Bandy Club]] played the first international match.

==Team sports==

===Women’s Netball===
The Netherlands Women’s netball team will compete against Claverdon, Bubbenhall, and an invitational side organised by Steve Campton, during the summer of 2025 in preparation for next year’s World Championships. Currently 167th in the world, they will look to build on recent positive displays against 166th placed Antarctica. 

===Football===
{{See also|Football in the Netherlands}}

The [[Royal Dutch Football Association]] (KNVB) is the largest sports federation in the country with 1,076,759 players (in 2005).<ref name="sport"/> According to the KNVB's website, it has over 1.2 million members as of 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.knvb.nl/over-ons/over-de-knvb|title = Over de KNVB &#124; KNVB}}</ref> The organization came into being on 19 December 1899, and was one of the founding members of [[FIFA]] (the world Football Association) in 1904.

Dutch football teams won three [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] bronze medals in 1908, 1912 and 1920. Other successes came in the 1970s, when [[Netherlands national football team|the national team]] played in the 1974 and 1978 [[FIFA World Cup]] finals, losing to the tournament's host on both occasions. In the same period, [[Eredivisie|Dutch league sides]] [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]] and [[Feyenoord]] won [[European Champion Clubs' Cup|European Cup]]s from 1970 to 1973. In 1988, the national team won the only international title so far at the [[UEFA European Championship|European Championships]]. [[PSV Eindhoven|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]] in which they defeated the [[Soviet Union national football team|Soviet Union]] to claim the coveted Henri Delaunay Trophy. In [[UEFA Women's Euro 2017|2017]] the Dutch national woman team equalized this result when they beat [[Denmark women's national football team|Denmark]], claiming their European title on home ground.

Many Dutch football players have gained international fame, such as [[Johan Cruyff]], [[Marco van Basten]], [[Ruud Gullit]], [[Dennis Bergkamp]], [[Patrick Kluivert]], [[Ruud van Nistelrooy]], [[Clarence Seedorf]], [[Wesley Sneijder]], [[Arjen Robben]], [[Robin van Persie]] and [[Frenkie de Jong]]. [[Rinus Michels]] 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 men's national football team|Spain]], giving Spain its first World Cup title. In June 2019 the Netherlands reached their 6th major final, where they lost to Portugal in the [[2019 UEFA Nations League Final|UEFA Nations League final]]. A month later the national woman team reached their first [[2019 FIFA Women's World Cup Final|World Cup Final]] against [[United States women's national soccer team|USA]].

Football stadiums [[Johan Cruyff Arena]] and [[De Kuip]] have [[UEFA Stadia List|UEFA's 5-star rating]], enabling them to host finals of the UEFA Champions League and the European Championship.

===Baseball===
{{See also|Baseball in the Netherlands}}

The [[Koninklijke Nederlandsche Honkbalbond|Royal Dutch Baseball Federation]] was established on 12 March 1912. They merged with the softball federation to form the [[Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond|Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation]] in 1971<ref>[http://www.honkbalsite.com/interactief/historie.html {{in lang|nl}} honkbalsite.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311182223/http://www.honkbalsite.com/interactief/historie.html |date=2008-03-11 }}</ref> In 2008 there were over 24,000 players active at one of the 184 clubs in the country.<ref>[http://www.knbsb.nl/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=44&Itemid=157 {{in lang|nl}} knbsb.nl PDF file]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The Netherlands boasts the most successful [[Netherlands national baseball team|national baseball team]] in Europe, winning the [[European Baseball Championship]] 20 times and frequently representing the continent in international competitions such as the [[World Baseball Classic]] and [[Baseball World Cup]]. There is a domestic [[Honkbal Hoofdklasse|professional baseball league]] whose best team, [[Neptunus]] of [[Rotterdam]], regularly contends for the [[European Cup (baseball)|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]] Champions of [[Willemstad]] advanced all the way to the championship game in the [[Little League World Series]]. Former [[New York Yankees]] outfielder [[Andruw Jones]], now of the [[Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles]] in [[Japan]]'s [[Pacific League]], is arguably the most successful and popular baseball player to emerge from Curaçao, and in 2006 was a member of the [[Netherlands national baseball team|Netherlands national team]] that participated in the inaugural [[World Baseball Classic]]. [[Jair Jurrjens]], pitcher for the [[Atlanta Braves]], became the first pitcher from Curaçao to pitch in the major leagues. [[John Houseman (baseball)|John Houseman]] became the first Dutch-born player in the Major Leagues when he made his debut for the [[Chicago Colts]] in 1894.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/mlb/worldclassic2006/news/story?id=2291359 sports.espn.go.com]</ref> [[Bert Blyleven]] was an [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]], a two-time [[World Series|World Series champion]] and was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|National Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 2011.

In 2009, the Netherlands twice upset the Dominican Republic in the [[2009 World Baseball Classic]]. The Dominican Republic's entire roster played in [[Major League Baseball]] (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.<ref>[http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090310&content_id=3961486&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb Dutch pull off second upset to advance | MLB.com: News]. Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved on 2011-02-18.</ref> At the [[2013 World Baseball Classic]] 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 national baseball team|Puerto Rico]].

===Field hockey===

{{See also|Field hockey in the Netherlands}}

The [[Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond|Royal Dutch Hockey Federation]] was formed on 8 October 1898 and is, with 185,923 members (in 2005), the fifth largest sports federation.<ref name="sport"/> ''[[Men's Hoofdklasse Hockey]]'' and ''[[Women's Hoofdklasse Hockey]]'' are the country's primary hockey competitions, which are contested by 12 clubs in both the male and female league.

As of 2024, the [[Netherlands women's national field hockey team]] is the most successful team in [[Women's Hockey World Cup|World Cup]] and [[Field hockey at the Summer Olympics|Olympic]] history, having won the title nine and five times respectively. The [[Netherlands men's national field hockey team|Dutch male hockey team]] has won both the [[Hockey World Cup|World Cup]] and Olympic gold on three occasions. Several Dutch hockey league clubs have won the [[EuroHockey Club Champions Cup|European Cup]]. At the [[2024 Summer Olympics|Paris 2024 Olympics]] both the men's and women's teams won the gold medal.

===Korfball===
[[File:Korfrakkers vs Swift.jpg|thumb|Dutch korfball match "De Korfrakkers" ([[Erp, Netherlands|Erp]]) vs. "Swift" ([[Velden, Limburg|Velden]])]]
[[Korfball]] is a mixed gender or only female [[ball sport]], with similarities to [[netball]] and [[basketball]]. 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 {{convert|3.5|m|ft|1|abbr=in}} 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 [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[Teacher|schoolteacher]] [[Nico Broekhuysen]] in 1902. In the [[Netherlands]], there are around 580 clubs and over 100,000 people playing korfball. The sport is also very popular in [[Belgium]] and [[Taiwan]], and is played in 54 other countries.
The Dutch korfball union is called Koninklijk Nederlands Korfbalverbond (KNKV).

===Basketball===
[[Basketball]] is also a popular sport in the Netherlands. The [[Netherlands national basketball team|national team]] had its most successful time during the 1980s. At the [[1983 European Basketball Championship]] the team finished in the final four and qualified to the [[1986 FIBA World Championship]] where the Dutch left behind strong competition such as [[Australia men's national basketball team|Team Australia]] and [[Germany national basketball team|Team Germany]]. During that time, the Dutch had its strong players in [[Jelle Esveldt]] and a young [[Rik Smits]]. Smits later became an [[NBA All-Star]] 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]] (NBA) players, including [[Francisco Elson]] and [[Dan Gadzuric]].

===Handball===
While [[Netherlands men's national handball team|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, [[Netherlands women's national handball team|the women's team]] have been more successful, with a gold medal at the [[2019 World Women's Handball Championship]] as the best result.

===Volleyball===
Volleyball is the third most participated team sport in the country. Founded on 6 September 1947, the [[Nederlandse Volleybalbond|Dutch Volleyball Federation]] is with 128,693 players (in 2005) the ninth largest sports association.<ref name="sport"/> The [[A-League (volleyball)|A-League]] is the highest division in which eight men's and women's teams compete for the national championships.

The [[Netherlands men's national volleyball team|national men's team]] is the most successful exponent, winning the silver medal at the [[Volleyball at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Summer Olympics]] and the gold medal [[Volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympics|four years later]] in [[Atlanta]]. The biggest success of the [[Netherlands women's national volleyball team|women's national team]] was winning the [[1995 Women's European Volleyball Championship|European Championship in 1995]] and the [[2007 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix|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]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Continental Cup Finals start in Africa|url=https://www.fivb.com/en/about/news/continental-cup-finals-start-in-africa?id=94414 |accessdate=7 August 2021 |work=[[FIVB]] |date=22 June 2021}}</ref>

===Cricket===
{{main|Cricket in the Netherlands}}
The [[Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond|Royal Dutch Cricket Federation]] was formed in 1883.<ref>[http://www.kb.nl/vak/deelcoll/teksten/crick.html {{in lang|nl}} kb.nl] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080207180842/http://www.kb.nl/vak/deelcoll/teksten/crick.html |date=2008-02-07 }}</ref> In 2021 the federation had 5000 members, which indicates that cricket is a minority sport in the Netherland yet still growing.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Onderzoeksrapportage Zo Sport Nederland - NOCNSF |url=https://nocnsf.nl/wat-doet-nocnsf/sport-in-nederland/sportonderzoek/zo-sport-nederland |access-date=2022-10-24 |website=nocnsf.nl}}</ref> The premier division is called the ''[[Topklasse (cricket)|Topklasse]]'', in which ten teams compete for the national championships.

The [[Netherlands national cricket team]] qualified for the [[ICC World Cup|cricket World Cup]] on five occasions; 1996, 2003, 2007, [[2011 Cricket World Cup|2011]] and 2023. The country has been considered one of the stronger associate in the world and in Europe alongside Scotland. Netherlands is ranked within the top 15 teams in the world and has co-hosted the [[ICC Cricket World Cup]] in 1999.

Most recently at the [[2009 World Twenty20]] 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. Recently the Dutch have managed to beat two time world champions West Indies in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Zimbabwe 2023 considered ones of the biggest upsets in Cricket history due to it eventually leading to the West Indies not being able to qualify for the World Cup in India 2023.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

In ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Dutch team led by captain Scott Edwards has surprised the cricket world by beating South Africa and Bangladesh by big margins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/28/netherlands-bangladesh-england-cricket-world-cup-2023-table|title=Netherlands stun Bangladesh to leave England bottom of World Cup table|publisher=The Guardian|date=October 28, 2023}}</ref>

===Bandy===
In terms of licensed athletes, [[bandy]] is the second biggest winter sport in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldbandy.com/newspost_7640.html |title=Bandy destined for the Olympic Winter Games! |access-date=2019-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017132109/http://www.worldbandy.com/newspost_7640.html |archive-date=2018-10-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.<ref name="Janmaat">{{cite web|url=http://www.bandybond.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/120-jaar-bandygeschiedenis-in-Nederland.pdf|title=120 jaar bandygeschiedenis in Nederland|author=Arnout Janmaat|date=March 7, 2013|access-date=February 13, 2013}}</ref> [[Bandy Bond Nederland]] became the first non-founding member of [[Federation of International Bandy#Members and years of admission|Federation of International Bandy]] in 1973. [[Netherlands national bandy team|The national team]] normally plays in Division B of [[Bandy World Championships|the World Championships]]. After winning the division in [[2018 Bandy World Championship|2018]], the team played in Division A in [[2019 Bandy World Championship|2019]]. In [[2025 Bandy World Championship|2025]] a new Division B gold medal came.<ref>[https://worldbandy.com/2025/03/14/netherlands-world-champion-group-b/ NETHERLANDS WORLD CHAMPION GROUP B!]</ref>

===Lacrosse===
For the first time, the Netherlands will feature a national team at the 2022 [[Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships]].<ref>[https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1108412/lacrosse-world-u21 Record 23 lacrosse teams to play at Men's Under-21 World Championship] Ali Iveson ([[Inside the Games]]), 30 May 2021. Accessed 9 June 2021.</ref>

==Individual sports==

===Ice skating===
[[File:Speed skating in the Netherlands.jpg|thumb|Ice skating is one of the most popular sports.]]
The {{Ill|Royal Dutch Speed Skating Association|nl|Koninklijke Nederlandsche Schaatsenrijders Bond}} (KNSB) was formed on 17 September 1882.<ref>[http://www.knsb.nl/content/algemeen/downloads/re1statuten.pdf {{in lang|nl}} knsb.nl PDF file] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410084802/http://www.knsb.nl/content/algemeen/downloads/re1statuten.pdf |date=2008-04-10 }}</ref> With 161,673 members they are the seventh largest sports federation (in 2005).<ref name="sport"/>

====Speed skating====
The first official known speed skating competition ever for women was held in [[Leeuwarden]] from 1 to 2 February 1805 and was won by [[Trijntje Pieters Westra]].<ref name=knaw>{{Cite web|url=http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/TrijntjePieters|title=Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland|date=September 17, 2019|website=resources.huygens.knaw.nl}}</ref><ref name=speedskatingnews>{{Cite web|url=https://www.speedskatingnews.info/en/data/skater/trijntje-pieters-westra/|title=Competition results, statistics and records; SpeedSkatingNews|website=www.speedskatingnews.info|access-date=3 April 2020}} 1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse geschiedenis</ref>

After a successful period around 1900, with [[Jaap Eden]] and [[Coen de Koning]] as World Champions, Dutch speed skating successes became numerous in the 1960s. Champions [[Kees Verkerk]] 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]] (3 Olympic gold medals in 1988), [[Rintje Ritsma]] (4-time World
Allround Champion), [[Jochem Uytdehaage]] (2 Olympic gold medals in 2002), [[Marianne Timmer]] (3 Olympic gold medals in 1998 and 2006), [[Ireen Wüst]] (5 Olympic golds in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 6 [[World Allround Speed Skating Championships]]) 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]] Stadium in [[Heerenveen]] 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]] is the most successful Dutch [[figure skater]], winning the [[World Figure Skating Championships|World Championships]] three times, the [[European Figure Skating Championships|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]] won the silver medal in figure skating at the [[1976 Winter Olympics]].

===Cycling===

{{See also|Netherlands at the UCI Road World Championships|Netherlands at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships}}

[[File:Marianne Vos Hoogerheide.jpg|thumb|[[Marianne Vos]], one of the most successful female cyclists of all-time]]
The [[Koninklijke Nederlandsche Wielren Unie|Royal Dutch Cycling Union]] was instituted on 26 January 1928. Two Dutch road racing cyclists have won the [[Tour de France]]: [[Jan Janssen (cyclist)|Jan Janssen]] and [[Joop Zoetemelk]]. In 2017, [[Tom Dumoulin]] won the [[2017 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]], becoming the first Dutchman to win the race and the first Dutch [[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tour]] winner since Zoetemelk's Tour win in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/giro-d-italia/2017/tom-dumoulin-wins-giro-ditalia-following-time-trial-masterclass_sto6185809/story.shtml |title=Tom Dumoulin wins Giro d'Italia following time-trial masterclass |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=28 May 2017 |website=[[Eurosport]]|access-date=28 May 2017 }}</ref> Eight Dutchmen have been World Champion on the road ([[Theo Middelkamp]] (1947), [[Jan Janssen]] (1964), [[Harm Ottenbros]] (1969), [[Hennie Kuiper]] (1975), [[Gerrie Knetemann]] (1978), [[Jan Raas]] (1979), [[Joop Zoetemelk]] (1985) and [[Mathieu van der Poel]] (2023)), but only one Dutchman has won the time trial World Championship [[Tom Dumoulin]] (2017). Eight women have been road race World Champions ([[Keetie van Oosten-Hage]] (1968, 1976), [[Tineke Fopma]] (1975), [[Petra de Bruijn]] (1979), [[Leontien van Moorsel]] (1991, 1993), [[Marianne Vos]] (2006, 2012, 2013), [[Chantal Blaak]] (2017), [[Anna van der Breggen]] (2018, 2020) and [[Annemiek van Vleuten]] (2019, 2022)) and four have been World Champions in the time trial ([[Leontien van Moorsel]] (1998, 1999), [[Ellen van Dijk]] (2013, 2021, 2022), [[Annemiek van Vleuten]] (2017, 2018) and [[Anna van der Breggen]] (2020)). At the Olympic Games the Netherlands has won 23 gold medals in cycling (ten in road cycling, 11 in track cycling and one each in mountain biking and BMX). Only three countries have won more gold cycling medals at the Olympics. [[Erik Dekker]] won the 2001 Cycling World Cup. [[Mathieu van der Poel]] is a three-time world champion in [[cyclo-cross]] and Dutch women have won more medals than any other country at the [[UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships – Women's elite race|cyclo-cross World championships]].

===Tennis===
The [[Koninklijke Nederlandse Lawn Tennis Bond|Royal Dutch Tennis Federation]] was founded on 5 June 1899 and is, with 709,277 members (in 2005), the second largest sports federation in the Netherlands.<ref name="sport"/>

One of the most successful tennis players was [[Tom Okker]], 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]] 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 Championships|Wimbledon]] in 1996, and the [[Paul Haarhuis]]/[[Jacco Eltingh]] doubles team, which won five [[Grand Slam in tennis|Grand Slam]] titles and two [[ATP World Tour Finals|world championships]]. [[Esther Vergeer]] is a four-time [[Paralympics]] tennis champion.

Netherlands is home to several tennis tournaments, including The [[ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament]] in [[Rotterdam]], one of the best visited indoor tournaments in the world.

===Athletics===
The [[Koninklijke Nederlandse Atletiek Unie|Royal Dutch Athletics Federation]] came into existence on 28 April 1901 and is, with 108,934 members (in 2005), the 13th largest sports federation.<ref name="sport"/>

Most successful competitor was [[Fanny Blankers-Koen]], who won four gold medals at the [[1948 Summer Olympics]]. In 1999, she was voted "Female Athlete of the Century" by the [[International Association of Athletics Federations]]. Other notable athletes include [[Nelli Cooman]], [[Elly van Hulst]], [[Rens Blom]], Henk Evers, [[Tinus Osendarp]], [[Chris Berger]], [[Tollien Schuurman]], [[Ellen van Langen]], [[Ria Stalman]], [[Gerard Nijboer]], [[Rutger Smith]], [[Maria Gommers]], [[Bertha Brouwer]], [[Lien Gisolf]], [[Dafne Schippers]], [[Sifan Hassan]] and [[Femke Bol]].

===Equestrianism===
The [[Koninklijke Nederlandse Hippische Sportfederatie|Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation]] in its present form was founded after a fusion on 1 January 2002. It is the sixth largest sports federation in the country, with 180,023 members in 2005.<ref name="sport"/> Numerous Dutch horseback riders have become world and Olympic champions in their field, including [[Charles Pahud de Mortanges]], [[Anky van Grunsven]], [[Jos Lansink]], [[Piet Raymakers]], [[Jeroen Dubbeldam]] and [[Gerco Schröder]].

===Golf===

[[Joost Luiten]] has won four tournaments in the [[European Tour]], 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]] (European Tour), [[Dutch Ladies Open]] (Ladies European Tour) and [[Dutch Senior Open]] ([[European Senior Tour]]).

===Swimming===
Formed on 14 August 1888, The [[Royal Dutch Swimming Federation]] has 148,599 members and is the eight largest sports federation.<ref name="sport"/> Famous competitors include [[Rie Mastenbroek]], who won the gold medal at the [[1936 Summer Olympics]] in the 100 m [[Freestyle swimming|freestyle]], 400 m and 4 × 100 m freestyle. Recent champions include triple [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] gold medalists [[Pieter van den Hoogenband]] and [[Ranomi Kromowidjojo]], four-time Olympic champion [[Inge de Bruijn]], and the current world record holder of the 50 metres freestyle, [[Marleen Veldhuis]].

===Kickboxing===
[[Jan Plas]], who learned kickboxing from Kenji Kurosaki, brought kickboxing to the Netherlands in 1978 where he founded [[Mejiro Gym]] and the NKBB (The Dutch Kickboxing Association). Ever since its inception in 1993, Dutch kickboxers have dominated the [[K-1]] scene, causing "[[Wimbledon Effect|Wimbledon effects]]", with two record holding title champions [[Ernesto Hoost]] and [[Semmy Schilt]], other world champions and contenders include [[Peter Aerts]], [[Remy Bonjasky]], [[Andy Souwer]], [[Albert Kraus]], [[Rob Kaman]], [[Ramon Dekkers]], [[Alistair Overeem]], [[Badr Hari]], [[Rico Verhoeven]] and many more world champions. The Netherlands are considered as the best country in the world for kickboxing.

===Judo===
The [[Judo Bond Nederland|Dutch Judo Federation]] in its current form was instituted on 15 September 1979.<ref>[http://www.judobondnederland.nl/judo/judohistorie.htm {{in lang|nl}} judobondnederland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325003134/http://www.judobondnederland.nl/judo/judohistorie.htm |date=2008-03-25 }}</ref> [[Anton Geesink]] was the first non-Japanese competitor to become World Champion in [[Judo]] in 1961. Other notable judoka include [[Angelique Seriese]], [[Wim Ruska]], [[Dennis van der Geest]] and [[Mark Huizinga]].

===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]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kwbn.nl/nieuws/oproep-voor-meer-sport-en-gezonde-leefstijl-in-regeerakkoord |title=KWBN website, article: Oproep voor meer sport en gezonde leefstijl in regeerakkoord |access-date=2018-02-21 |archive-date=2018-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222044059/https://www.kwbn.nl/nieuws/oproep-voor-meer-sport-en-gezonde-leefstijl-in-regeerakkoord |url-status=dead }}</ref> KWBN affiliated groups organise over 1,500 events a year, attracting an estimated 500,000 participants.<ref>[https://www.wandel.nl/wandelagenda.htm  Wandel.nl website, main page]</ref>  This includes the annual [[International Four Days Marches Nijmegen|Nijmegen Four Day Marches]], which has nearly 50,000 participants from around the world.<ref>[https://www.4daagse.nl/en/ Vierdaagse website]</ref>  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”.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.kwbn.nl/pagina/over-ons/voor-wie-wij-staan |title=KWBN website, article: Voor heel wandelend Nederland |access-date=2018-02-21 |archive-date=2018-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222043803/https://www.kwbn.nl/pagina/over-ons/voor-wie-wij-staan |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==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]] is a professional [[darts]] player. He was ranked number one in the world from January 2008 to June 2008. He has won five world championships, four in the now-defunct [[British Darts Organisation]] and one in the [[Professional Darts Corporation]].
* [[Auto racing]] driver [[Arie Luyendyk]] is a two-time winner of the [[Indianapolis 500]], in [[1990 Indianapolis 500|1990]] and [[1997 Indianapolis 500|1997]].
* [[Rowing (sport)|Rower]] [[Nico Rienks]] was awarded the prestigious [[Thomas Keller Medal]] by the [[International Rowing Federation]] in 2004.
* [[Basketball]] player [[Rik Smits]] 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]] is a professional darts player. He was the number-one ranked darts player in the world from 2014 to 2021, and was the 2014, 2017 & 2019 PDC World Darts Champion.
* [[Ryan Ten Doeschate]] is a [[cricket]] player who 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. Having made his debut in [[2015 Formula One World Championship|2015]] at the age of 17, he holds the record for being the youngest driver to have entered a Formula One race. In [[2016 Formula One World Championship|2016]], he took his first win at the [[2016 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]], making him both the youngest driver and first Dutch driver to win a Formula One race. In [[2021 Formula One World Championship|2021]], he won the Formula One drivers' championship, the first Dutch driver to do so. He won the drivers' championship again in [[2022 Formula One World Championship|2022]], [[2023 Formula One World Championship|2023]] and [[2024 Formula One World Championship|2024]]. Max's father, [[Jos Verstappen]], was a Formula One driver from 1994 to 2003.
* [[Vivianne Miedema]] is a 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.
* [[Rinus VeeKay]], whose full name is Rinus van Kalmthout, is a driver in the [[IndyCar Series]].

==See also==
*[[Netherlands at the Olympics]]
*[[Dutch Sportsman of the year|The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090203063522/http://www.nlplanet.com/nlguides/dutch-sport NL Planet – Sport in the Netherlands]

{{National sports teams of the Netherlands|B}}
{{Sports governing bodies in the Netherlands}}
{{Netherlands topics}}
{{Sport in Europe}}

[[Category:Sport in the Netherlands| ]]