Netherlands Sports Trivia
Netherlands sports trivia and fun facts about Dutch athletes… world records, Olympic medals, best team sports, speed skating, hockey, swimming, football and more.
NETHERLANDS SPORTS TRIVIA & FUN FACTS
Dutchman Olivier Richters is the world’s tallest competitive bodybuilder at 7′ 6″ (2.18 meters) [Source]. Richters has also taken up acting, appearing in films and TV shows such as Reacher (2025), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Black Widow (2021) and Gangs of London (2020)
The youngest ever winner of a Formula One World Championship car racing event is Dutchman Max Verstappen at 18 years 228 days old (Spanish Grand Prix 2016) [Source]
The sport of Korfball was invented by Dutch physical education school teacher Nico Broekhuysen in 1901.
Netherlands has won more Korfball World Championship titles than any other country (10). [Source]
Dutch equestrian athlete Anky van Grunsven has competed in more Olympic Games than any other Dutch athlete: 7 (1988-2012).
The Olympic team sport in which Netherlands has had the most success field hockey. The Dutch women’s and men’s teams have each won 10 Olympic medals (Women: Gold-5, Silver-2, Bronze-3; Men: Gold-3, Silver-4, Bronze-3).
Netherlands is the only country ever to capture both the men’s and ladies field hockey gold medals at the same Olympics Games: Paris 2024 [Source]
Netherlands has won more Olympic gold medals in women’s field hockey than other country (5) [Source]
Netherlands has won more ladies World Cup field hockey titles than any other country (8) [Source]
The most one-sided victory ever in a ladies World Cup field hockey final was Netherlands 6-0 defeat of Ireland in 2018 [Source]
The oldest football club in Netherlands is Sparta Rotterdam (founded in 1888 as a cricket club). [Source]
Johan Cruijff is universally accepted as the greatest Dutch footballer of all time. Turns out he could also carry a tune. His recording Oei Oei Oei (Dat Was Me Weer Een Loei) reached #22 on the Dutch singles chart in 1969.
Amsterdam football club Ajax has won more Eredivisie (Netherlands premier league) titles than any other Dutch football club: 36 [Source]
The largest goal differential ever in an Eredivisie football game came in 2020 when Ajax defeated VVV Venlo 13-0.
Dutchwoman Vivianne Miedema holds the record for the most football goals scored at a single Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020): 10 [Source]
Dutch footballer Johann Neeskens holds the record for fastest goal scored in a World Cup Final: 1 min 30 sec (1974 World Cup: Netherlands vs West Germany) [Source]
The Johan Cruijff ArenA (Amsterdam) is the largest sports stadium in Netherlands with 55,000 seats. [Source]
Netherlands holds the record for most appearances in the men’s football World Cup finals without winning the title: 3 [Source]
Netherlands men’s volleyball team won Olympic gold at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. [Source]
Netherlands men’s volleyball team has won the CEV European League title twice: 2006, 2012 [Source]
Netherlands ladies volleyball team has reached five European Championships finals, winning the title in 1995. [Source]
Dutch skater Sven Kramer holds the record for most Olympic medals in men’s speed skating: 9 [Source]
Dutch skater Sven Kramer also holds the record for most ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships with 21 (8 in the 5,000m, 5 in the 10,000m and 8 in the team pursuit ) [Source]
Dutch skater Ireen Wurst holds the record for most Olympic medals in ladies speed skating:13 which also makes her the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time from Netherlands. [Source]
Dutch speed skater Kjeld Nuis currently holds the world record in men’s 1500 meters distance: 1:40:17 (achieved 10 Mar 2019)
Netherlands holds the world record time in the ladies speed skating Team Sprint event: 1:28:40 (achieved by Femke Beuling, Jutta Leerdam and Joy Beune on 25 Nov 2017)
Netherlands has won a total of 147 medals at the Winter Olympic Games. 133 (90.5%) of these have come in a single sport… speed skating.
Dutchwoman Fanny Blankers-Koen holds the record for the most gold medals won by a woman in Athletics at a single Olympics Games: 4 (London 1948). Her medals came in the 100m, 200m, 80m hurdles and 4x100m relay. [Source]
On 19 February 2023 Dutch runner Femke Bol broke the world record (which had stood for 41 years) in the 400-meter indoor event with: 49.26 sec. [Source] A year later, she broke her own record with a time of 49.17 sec. [Source]
Dutch runner Sifan Hassan holds the Olympic record time for women’s marathon: 2:22:50 (Paris 2024)
Dutch tennis player Tallon Griekspoor holds the record for the most ATP Challenger Tour titles won in a single season: 8 (2021) as well as the record for longest winning streak in a single season: 25 matches (2021)
Tom Okker was the Dutch male tennis player to achieve the highest singles rank on the ATP Tour: #3 (1974)
Kiki Bertens was the female tennis player to achieve the highest singles ranking for a Dutch woman on the WTA Tour: #4 (2019)
Only one Dutch tennis player has ever won a Grand Slam singles title: Richard Krajicek (Wimbledon 1996)
Netherlands holds the world record in men’s Track Cycling Team Sprint: 40.949 sec. achieved by Harrie Lavreysen, Roy van den Berg and Jeffrey Hoogland at Paris 2024 Olympic Games (06 August 2024).
Dutch cyclist Jeffrey Hoogland holds the world record for 1 km distance: 55.433 sec (achieved 31 October 2023) [Source]
Dutch cyclist Ellen van Dijk holds the ladies ‘UCI Unified Hour’ distance world record: 49.254 km (achieved 23 May 2022).
Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos holds the record for most Cyclo–Cross World Championships titles: 6 [Source]
Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal is the only person to win 2 Olympic gold medals in marathon swimming (2016, 2024).
Dutch swimmers Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Femke Heemskerk, Tamara van Vliet and Valerie van Roon hold the swimming world record for short course (4 x 50m): 1:33:91 achieved on 15 December 2017 [Source]
Netherlands has hosted the Olympic Games once: Amsterdam 1928
Prior to 1992 at the Olympics, the Netherlands (NED) was referred to as Holland (HOL)
Netherlands most successful Summer Olympic Games based on total medal count was Tokyo 2020 (played in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic). TeamNL won 36 medals (Gold-10, Silver-12, Bronze-14) and ranked #7 in medal count among all countries.
Netherlands most successful Summer Olympic Games based on gold medal count was Paris 2024. TeamNL won 15 gold medals and ranked #6 among all countries.
Dutch woman Laura Dekker holds the world record as the youngest person to sail solo around the world. She was 16 years, 123 days old when she completed the 518-day trip. [Source]
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