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 Richeters is the world’s tallest competitive bodybuilder at 7′ 6″ (2.18 meters) [Source]
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) [Source]
Korfball was invented by Dutch physical education school teacher Nico Broekhuysen in 1901.
The Netherlands has won Korfball World Championship titles than any other country (10). [Source]
The Olympic team sport the Netherlands has had the most success in is Hockey. The women’s and men’s teams have accumulated 9 medals each (18 total).
The Dutch athlete who competed in the most Olympic Games (7) is Anky van Grunsven (Equestrian) 1988-2012.
The Netherlands has won more Olympic gold medals in women’s field hockey than other country (4) [Source]
The Netherlands has won more World Cup titles in women’s field hockey than any other country (8) [Source]
The oldest football club in the 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. It 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 widest-ever victory in an Eredivisie football game was achieved by Ajax in 2020 when they defeated VVV Venlo 13-0.
Dutchwoman Vivianne Miedema holds the record for the most football goals scored at a single Olympics (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]
Team Netherlands has appeared in the most men’s football World Cup finals without winning the title: 3 [Source]
Team Netherlands men’s volleyball team won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games (Atlanta) [Source]
Team Netherlands men’s volleyball team has won the CEV European League twice: 2006, 2012 [Source]
Team Netherlands ladies volleyball team has reached the finals of the European Championships 5 times, 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 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 the 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)
Team 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)
The Netherlands has won 147 Winter Olympic medals in total. Of these, 133 (90.5%) have come in the sport of speed skating.
Dutchwoman Fanny Blankers-Koen holds the record for the most gold medals won by a woman in Track & Field at a single Olympics Games (London 1948): 4. 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.
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)
Tennis player Tom Okker achieved the highest singles ranking for a Dutch man on the ATP Tour: #3 (1974)
Tennis player Kiki Bertens achieved 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)
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).
The Netherlands has hosted the Summer Olympic Games once: Amsterdam 1928
Prior to 1992 at the Olympics, the Netherlands (NED) was referred to as Holland (HOL)
The most successful Olympics for Team Netherlands was Tokyo 2020 (played in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic). Dutch athletes won a total of 36 medals (10 Gold, 12 Silver, 14 Bronze)
Related information…