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.
Ellen Marijn Hoog is a former Dutch field hockey player, who is regarded as one of the best Dutch hockey players of her generation.
Kazakhstan's President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has challenged sports organizers to engage 30 percent of the country's population in sports. The state has numerous sports clubs where people participate in various types of sports; sport facilities are available to the general public. Kazakhstan currently hosts major international tournaments; Astana and Almaty hosted the VII Asian Winter Games 2011, which drew teams from 27 countries.
Naomi van As is a Dutch field hockey player who plays as a forward/midfield for a Dutch club MHC Laren.
Alyson Regina Annan is an Australian field hockey coach and retired field hockey player, who earned a total number of 228 international caps for the Women's National Team, in which she scored 166 goals. Until January 2022, Annan was the head coach of the Netherlands women's national field hockey team; she led the team to a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil and a gold medal at 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as well as gold medals at the 2017 and the 2021 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship in The Netherlands. During 2013 Annan gained the prestigious award of becoming a member of Sport Australia Hall of Fame.She is currently head coach of the China Women's National team.
Sophie Polkamp is a Dutch field hockey player, who played as defender for Dutch club Stichtse Cricket en Hockey Club and later for Amsterdamsche Hockey & Bandy Club (AHBC).
Maartje Yvonne Helene Paumen is a former Dutch field hockey player. She is currently assistant coach for Dutch club MOP. She previously played for Dutch clubs Oranje Zwart and HC Den Bosch and Belgian club Royal Antwerp. She also played for the Netherlands national team and she was part of the Dutch squad that became world champions at the 2006 Women's Hockey World Cup in Madrid and the 2014 Women's Hockey World Cup in The Hague. She also won the 2007 Champions Trophy and the 2011 Champions Trophy. With 195 goals in 235 games, she is the all-time top scorer for the Dutch national team. She is also all-time top scorer in the national Dutch hockey league, the Hoofdklasse.
The Netherlands competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. This was announced in an official statement on the NOC*NSF website. In the statement they named the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games as a highlight in sports to which a lot of sportspeople, coaches and the Dutch sports fans would look forward. The Netherlands aimed for a top 10 nations ranking in the Olympics as well as a top 25 ranking in the Paralympics; they ended up ranking 12th at the Games.
The women's field hockey tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics was the 8th edition of the field hockey event for women at the Summer Olympic Games. It was held over a thirteen-day period beginning on 10 August, and culminating with the medal finals on 22 August. All games were played at the hockey field constructed on the Olympic Green in Beijing, China.
Lidewij Welten is a Dutch field hockey player.
Helen Richardson-Walsh, is an English hockey player who plays as a midfielder. She has been a member of both the England and the Great Britain women's field hockey teams since 1999, and was a member of the Great Britain team that won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Jamile Samuel is a Dutch athlete sprinter, who specialises in the 100 and 200 metres. She won three bronze medals at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, thus establishing herself as the third-fastest female runner under the age of 20 in the world. She won a gold medal with the Dutch women's 4 × 100 m relay team at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam.
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.
Joyce Sombroek is a former Dutch goalkeeper of the field hockey team of the Netherlands. Her international debut was on June 29, 2010 and in total she played 117 caps. With the Dutch national team Sombroek won every title you can win as a professional field hockey player. Her biggest achievements are the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, silver medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and winning the 2014 Women's Hockey World Cup in The Hague. In both Olympic semi finals Sombroek played an important role by stopping multiple shoot-outs and leading her team into the finals. Sombroek also won several individual titles. The Féderation Internationale de Hockey (FIH) chose her for the international All Star team in 2010 and 2011 and Sombroek was nominated for Best Young Player of the World in 2012. On top of that she was chosen as Best Goalkeeper of the World in 2014 and 2015.
Laura Unsworth, is an English field hockey player who plays as a midfielder or defender for East Grinstead and the England and Great Britain national teams.
Madeleine Clare Hinch,, known as Maddie Hinch is an English former field hockey player who played as a goalkeeper for Tilburg HC and England and Great Britain national teams.
Tina Bachmann is a retired German field hockey player. She represented Germany in two editions of the Olympic Games, and also often played as a midfielder and an experienced central defender. Bachmann was also a member of the Germany women's national field hockey team who attained a great success in the mid and late 2000s, capturing three gold medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2006 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy, and 2007 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship.
Sophie Charlotte Bray, is an English international field hockey player who played as a forward for England and Great Britain.
Sanne Wevers is a Dutch artistic gymnast. She is the 2016 Olympic champion on the balance beam and was the first Dutch female gymnast to become an Olympic champion in an individual event. She is the 2018 and 2023 European champion on the balance beam. She is also the 2015 World and 2021 European silver medalist on the balance beam and the 2015 European bronze medalist on the uneven bars. She was a member of the Dutch team that won the bronze medal at the 2018 and 2023 European Championships.
Freeke Moes is a Dutch field hockey player.
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