Netherlands at the Olympics
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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 to 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.[1][2]
Ranked 15th
- Gold
- 174
- Silver
- 168
- Bronze
- 182
- Total
- 524
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.[3]
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.[4]
Dutch athletes have won 357 medals at the Summer Olympic Games, with swimming and cycling as the top medal-producing sports. The nation has won another 167 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, of which 146 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.[5] These events were once part of the official Olympic program in the early 20th century, between 1912 and 1948.[6]
Hosted Games
| Games | Host city | Dates | Nations | Participants | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 Summer Olympics | Amsterdam | 28 July – 12 August | 46 | 2,883 | 109 |
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.[7] Eventually, no bid came from either city and the Olympics were awarded to Los Angeles.
Thialf in Heerenveen will host long track speed skating at the 2030 Winter Olympics which is being held in the French Alps.[8]
Overview of Olympic participation
Timeline of participation
| Olympic Year/s | Teams | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900–1952 W |  Netherlands | ||
| 1952 S | Netherlands Antilles | ||
| 1956 | |||
| 1960–1984 |  Netherlands Antilles | ||
| 1988–2008 |  Netherlands Antilles |  Aruba | |
| 2012 | as part of Netherlands / Independent Olympic Athletes | ||
| 2014–present | Netherlands | ||
Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010—a former constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands—the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee (NAOC) lost its Olympic recognition in July 2011. The NAOC had been established in 1931 and was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 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.[9] They could:
- compete as Independent Olympic Athletes under the IOC flag,
- represent the Netherlands, or
- represent Aruba, provided they met eligibility requirements.
Ultimately, three athletes chose to compete as independents under the Olympic flag. Others, such as Churandy Martina, opted to represent the Netherlands. All athletes retained Dutch nationality, allowing them to select their affiliation. Although some athletes expressed interest early on in representing either Aruba, which has a semi-independent status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, or the Netherlands, those without an official national committee by 2012 were permitted to compete independently for that edition of the Games.
Medals by Summer Games
Host country
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1900 Paris | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
 1904 St. Louis | did not participate | |||||
 1908 London | 113 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
 1912 Stockholm | 33 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 18 |
 1920 Antwerp | 113 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 9 |
| 1924 Paris | 177 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 9 |
| 1928 Amsterdam | 264 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 19 | 8 |
| 1932 Los Angeles | 45 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
 1936 Berlin | 165 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 9 |
| 1948 London | 149 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 11 |
 1952 Helsinki | 104 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 29 |
 1956 Melbourne | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1960 Rome | 110 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 28 |
 1964 Tokyo | 125 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 15 |
 1968 Mexico City | 107 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 17 |
 1972 Munich | 119 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 16 |
 1976 Montreal | 109 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 29 |
 1980 Moscow | 90 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 30 |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 136 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 13 |
 1988 Seoul | 147 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 22 |
 1992 Barcelona | 220 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 20 |
| 1996 Atlanta | 235 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 15 |
| 2000 Sydney | 243 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 25 | 8 |
 2004 Athens | 210 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 22 | 18 |
 2008 Beijing | 243 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 16 | 11 |
| 2012 London | 188 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 12 |
 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 241 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 11 |
| 2020 Tokyo | 278 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 36 | 7 |
 2024 Paris | 273 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 34 | 6 |
| 2028 Los Angeles | future event | |||||
| 2032 Brisbane | ||||||
| Total (28/30) | 4,267 | 111 | 112 | 134 | 357 | 14 |
- Notes
- ART Art competitions (1912–1948) are not included in the medal table above, as they were non-sports events formerly part of the Olympic Games.[nb 1] Netherlands won a total of six art competition medals (2 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze), across the 1924, 1928, and 1932 Summer Olympics.[3]
- MIX At the 1900 Summer Olympics, an "unknown French boy" is recorded to have participated as the coxswain for the gold-winning mixed team (which was the Dutch team prior to his joining) in the men's coxed pair rowing competition.
Believed to possibly be the youngest Olympic medalist in history, the identity of the boy remains to this day unknown. Despite being referred to as the "unknown French boy" in Olympic archives, his nationality is not known with certainty.[11] The gold medal is attributed to the Netherlands.[3][12][nb 2]
Medals by Winter Games
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1928 St. Moritz | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1932 Lake Placid | did not participate | |||||
| 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1948 St. Moritz | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1952 Oslo | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1960 Squaw Valley | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
 1964 Innsbruck | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 1968 Grenoble | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| 1972 Sapporo | 11 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 4 |
| 1976 Innsbruck | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 1980 Lake Placid | 29 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
 1984 Sarajevo | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1988 Calgary | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| 1992 Albertville | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| 1994 Lillehammer | 21 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| 1998 Nagano | 22 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 6 |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | 27 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 9 |
| 2006 Turin | 33 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 10 |
| 2010 Vancouver | 34 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 |
 2014 Sochi | 41 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 24 | 5 |
| 2018 Pyeongchang | 33 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 20 | 5 |
| 2022 Beijing | 41 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 6 |
| 2026 Milano Cortina | 38 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 3 |
| 2030 French Alps | future event | |||||
| 2034 Utah | ||||||
| Total (23/25) | 440 | 63 | 56 | 48 | 167 | 9 |
Medals by summer sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cycling | 26 | 25 | 17 | 68 |
 Swimming | 19 | 20 | 21 | 60 |
 Rowing | 12 | 17 | 15 | 44 |
 Equestrian | 10 | 13 | 5 | 28 |
 Sailing | 10 | 9 | 11 | 30 |
 Athletics | 10 | 8 | 12 | 30 |
 Field hockey | 8 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
 Judo | 4 | 2 | 18 | 24 |
 Marathon swimming | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
 Gymnastics | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
 Boxing | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
 Archery | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
 Volleyball | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Water polo | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
 3x3 basketball | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Canoeing | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
 Shooting | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Tennis | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Badminton | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Tug of war | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Fencing | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
 Football | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
 Weightlifting | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
 Artistic swimming | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Beach volleyball | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (25 entries) | 111 | 112 | 134 | 357 |
Medals by winter sport
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Speed skating | 53 | 50 | 43 | 146 |
 Short track speed skating | 8 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
 Figure skating | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
 Snowboarding | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Skeleton | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 entries) | 63 | 56 | 48 | 167 |
List of medalists
Summer Olympics
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Winter Olympics
Most successful Dutch competitors
Individual athletes
Team performances
| No | Sport | Team |  |
 |
 |
Total |
| 1 | Field hockey |
Netherlands women's national field hockey team | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 2 | Field hockey |
Netherlands men's national field hockey team | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 3 | Swimming |
Women's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay | 2 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| 4 | Equestrian |
Eventing team competition | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Rowing |
Men's quadruple sculls | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| 6 | Rowing |
Women's lightweight double sculls | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | Cycling |
Men's road team time trial | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cycling |
Men's team sprint | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Medals by sport
Rowing
| Games | No. Rowers | Events | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 Athens | Event wasn't held | ||||||
| 1900 Paris | 14 | 2/5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 1904 St Louis | 0 | 0/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1908 London | 4 | 1/5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5= |
| 1912 Stockholm | 0 | 0/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1916 | Games Cancelled | ||||||
| 1920 Antwerp | 12 | 3/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1924 Paris | 17 | 4/7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 1928 Amsterdam | 25 | 7/7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1932 Los Angeles | 2 | 1/7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1936 Berlin | 15 | 5/7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1940 | Games Cancelled | ||||||
| 1944 | Games Cancelled | ||||||
| 1948 London | 6 | 2/7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1952 Helsinki | 12 | 4/7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1956 Melbourne | 0 | 0/7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1960 Rome | 13 | 5/7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964 Tokyo | 17 | 6/7 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 1968 Mexico City | 22 | 6/7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 1972 Munich | 21 | 5/7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10= |
| 1976 Montreal | 28 | 7/14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 10 | 3/14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 26 | 8/14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10= |
| 1988 | 16 | 6/14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1992 Barcelona | 20 | 8/14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14= |
| 1996 Atlanta | 37 | 9/14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 2000 Sydney | 35 | 9/14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| 2004 Athens | 26 | 6/14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 2008 Beijing | 29 | 6/14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5= |
| 2012 London | 32 | 7/14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15= |
| 2016 Rio | 36 | 8/14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2020 Tokyo | 35 | 11/14 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 2024 Paris | 35 | 11/14 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Total | 545 | 264 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 43 | 9 |
Sailing
| Games | No. Sailors | Events | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | Scheduled but event wasn't held | ||||||
| 1900 | 9 | 3/13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 1904 | Not Scheduled | ||||||
| 1908 | 0 | 0/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1912 | 0 | 0/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1916 | Games Cancelled | ||||||
| 1920 | 8 | 3/14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 1924 | 4 | 2/3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 1928 | 12 | 3/3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 1932 | 3 | 2/4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 1936 | 8 | 3/4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | =2 |
| 1940 | Games Cancelled | ||||||
| 1944 | Games Cancelled | ||||||
| 1948 | 8 | 4/5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| 1952 | 9 | 4/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1956 | 0 | 0/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1960 | 6 | 3/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1964 | 6 | 3/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1968 | 6 | 3/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1972 | 5 | 3/6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1976 | 9 | 4/6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 12 | 6/6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 8 | 5/7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1988 | 12 | 7/8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 14 | 8/10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 1996 | 12 | 8/10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000 | 9 | 5/11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 2004 | 14 | 8/11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 12 | 7/11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| 2012 | 11 | 7/10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2016 | 11 | 8/10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2020 | 10 | 7/10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2024 Paris | 11 | 8/10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 229 | 124 / 205 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 30 | 9 |
See also
Notes
- In 1952, art competition medals, as well as the gold medal awards for feats in alpinism and aeronautics, were removed from the official national medal counts.[13] Only since 2021 have they been officially listed again by the IOC in the medal tables and respective National Olympic Committee (NOC) profiles on its website.[3]
- Until 2024, the IOC classified all teams composed of athletes from different countries in the early Modern Olympic Games as mixed teams (IOC code ZZX), regardless of whether they represented an established club.[14] Since 2024, teams representing a club have been attributed to the club's country, even if they included foreign athletes.[15] Only ad hoc teams formed solely for the Olympic Games are now classified as mixed teams.[16][17]