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.
Sailing/Yachting made its first appearance as an Olympic sport at the 1900 Summer Olympics after competitions were cancelled at the 1896 Olympics. With the exception of 1904, sailing was thereafter always a part of the Olympic program. The sailing program in 1900 consisted of a total of eight sailing classes. For six classes, the races were scheduled from 20 – 27 May at the river Seine around Meulan, and several series of three races were held for the largest classes from 1–5 August on the North Atlantic off the coast of Le Havre. Approximately 150 sailors in 64 boats from 6 nations competed, including 1 woman, Hélène de Pourtalès, who won a gold medal in the 1 to 2 ton.
Marianne Vos is a Dutch multi-discipline cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike.
Nicholas Charles Dempsey is a British windsurfer, who lives in Poole, Dorset. He became the first man to win three Olympics medals in windsurfing when he won silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics, adding to a silver won in the 2012 London Olympics, and a bronze from the 2004 Athens Olympics. He is also twice world champion, winning gold in 2009 and 2013.
Ranomi Kromowidjojo is a retired Dutch swimmer of mixed Dutch-Javanese Surinamese origin who mainly specialises in sprint freestyle events. She is a triple Olympic champion, winning the gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 2008 Olympics, and in the 50 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle at the 2012 Olympics. Kromowidjojo holds the world record in the 50 meter freestyle short course, and as part of the Dutch team she holds the world record in the 4×50 m freestyle relay. She formerly held world records in the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m freestyle relays. She has won a total of 39 medals in FINA World Championship events.
Aaron McIntosh is a windsurfer from New Zealand who won a Bronze medal at 2000 in Sydney. He had previously just missed out on a medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta finishing a close fourth. At the World Mistral Championships he finished third in 1993, second in 1995 and won three times in 1994, 1997 and 1998.
Annemieke Marileen Bes is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented her country for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The Dutch Yngling helmed by Annelies Thies and crewed by Bes and Petronella de Jong took the 4th place. Bes returned to the Olympics, again in the Dutch Yngling, during the 2008 Olympics this time with fellow crewmember Merel Witteveen and helmsman Mandy Mulder. The Dutch Yngling team took the Silver Medal in Qingdao. Bes than switched to the Elliott 6m Match racing. During the 2012 Olympics the team with helmsman Renee Groeneveld and crewmembers Bes and Marcelien Bos-de Koning took 8th place in Weymouth.
Lobke Berkhout is a sailor from the Netherlands who represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. With helmsman Marcelien de Koning Berkhout took the silver medal as crew in the Women's 470. Berkhout returned as crew member to the 2012 Olympic regatta's in Weymouth in the 470. With helmsman Lisa Westerhof Berkhout took the bronze medal in the Women's 470.
Marcelien Bos-de Koning is a Dutch three-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist sports sailor. She represented her country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. With crew member Lobke Berkhout Bos-de Koning took the silver medal as helmsman in the Women's 470. Bos-de Koning returned as crew member to the 2012 Olympic match regatta's in Weymouth in the Elliott 6m. With helmsman Renee Groeneveld and fellow crew member Annemieke Bes Bos-de Koning took 8th place.
Rutger van Schaardenburg is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country for the first time at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Qingdao. There he took the 34th place in the Laser class. Van Schaardenburg's second Olympic appearance was during the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth. In this competition Van Schaardenburg took 14th place. He competed again in the laser class at the 2016 Olympics, finishing in 9th place.
Kalle Kristian Coster is a sailor from the Netherlands. Coster represented his country for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With his brother Sven Coster as helmsman, Coster took 6th place as crew in the Dutch Men's 470. Coster's second Olympic appearance was during the 2008 Olympics in Qingdao again as crew in the Men's 470 with his brother as helmsman. Coster took the 4th place. Again with Sven as helmsman in the Men's 470 Coster crewed the Dutch 470 at the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth. The brothers finished in 12th place.
Sven Erik Coster is a sailor from the Netherlands. Coster represented his country for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. With his brother Kalle Coster as crew Coster took 6th place as helmsman in the Dutch Men's 470. Coster's second Olympic appearance was during the 2008 Olympics in Qingdao again as helmsman in the 470 and his brother as crew, Coster took the 4th place. Also with Kalle as crew in the 470 Coster helmed the Dutch 470 at the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth. The brothers finished on the 12th place.
Nimrod Mashiah is an Israeli windsurfer.
The Netherlands competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Dutch athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games since their official debut in 1908, with the exception of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary. The Netherlands National Olympic Committee sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Games since 1988. A total of 175 athletes, 95 men and 80 women, competed in 18 sports.
Lisa Laetitia Westerhof is a sailor from the Netherlands. Westerhof represented her country at the Optimist World Championship in 1995 and 1996, becoming only the second girl to win the championship outright.
The men's RS:X was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 2012 Summer Olympics program in Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. Eleven races were scheduled and completed. 38 sailors, on 38 boards, from 38 nations competed. Ten boards qualified for the medal race on course area Nothe in front of Weymouth, where each position scored double points. The gold medal was won by Dorian van Rijsselberghe who already after the ninth race had accumulated sufficient results to be certain to win the gold medal, as long as he competed in the races.
Marit Bouwmeester is a sailor from the Netherlands.
Renée Groeneveld is a sailor from the Netherlands. Groeneveld represented her country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in Weymouth. With fellow crew members Annemieke Bes and Marcelien Bos-de Koning, Groeneveld as helmsman took 8th place in the Elliott 6m match race event.
The men's RS:X was a sailing event on the Sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics program in Rio de Janeiro that took place between 8–14 August at Marina da Glória. 13 races were scheduled and completed. As in the previous Olympics, the Dutch sailor Dorian van Rijsselberghe dominated and had won the gold medal before the medal race was held, as long as he competed in it. As it happened, he won the medal race as well. Britain's Nick Dempsey was likewise guaranteed the silver medal before the medal race, a medal he also won in 2012. In contrast, the race for the bronze medal was very tight, with Pierre Le Coq edging out Piotr Myszka by one position in the medal race.
The Netherlands competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's official debut in 1900, Dutch athletes have competed at every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
