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.
The Australia women's national field hockey team are, as of August 2023, ranked second in the world. Having played their first game in 1914, and their first Olympic game in 1984, they are one of Australia's most successful sporting teams, boasting three Olympic gold medals, two World Cup gold medals and four Commonwealth Games gold medals. The Hockeyroos have been crowned Australia's Team of the Year five times and were unanimously awarded Best Australian Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
Sven Kramer is a retired Dutch long track speed skater who has won an all time record nine World Allround Championships as well as a record ten European Allround Championships. He is the Olympic champion of the 5000 meters at the Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics, and won a record 21 gold medals at the World Single Distance Championships; eight in the 5000 meters, five in the 10,000 meters, and eight in the team pursuit. Kramer used to be the world record holder in the team pursuit and broke the world records in the 5000 meter and 10,000 meter events three times. By winning the 2010 World Allround Championship, Kramer became the first speed skater in history to win four consecutive world allround championships and eight consecutive international all round championships. He was undefeated in the 18 international allround championships he participated in from the 2006/2007 season until the 2016/2017 season. From November 2007 to March 2009, he was ranked first in the Adelskalender, but despite his dominance as an all-round skater he has since been overtaken on that list by Shani Davis and, more recently, by his teammate Patrick Roest.
Ellen Marijn Hoog is a former Dutch field hockey player, who is regarded as one of the best Dutch hockey players of her generation.
The Belgian national men's field hockey team represents Belgium in international men's field hockey and is controlled by the Royal Belgian Hockey Association, the governing body for field hockey in Belgium.
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.
Eva Roma Maria de Goede is a Dutch field hockey player who played in the Dutch teams that won the gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She was part of the Dutch squad that won the 2007 Champions Trophy.
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.
Marilyn Agliotti is a field hockey player from the Netherlands, having previously represented South Africa. After her move to the Netherlands and award of a Dutch passport, she represented the Dutch national team.
Lidewij Welten is a Dutch field hockey player.
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.
Vincent Vanasch is a Belgian professional field hockey player who plays as a goalkeeper for Orée and the Belgium national team.
John-John Dominique Dohmen is a Belgian professional field hockey player who plays for Orée and the Belgium national team as a midfielder.
Florent Van Aubel is a Belgian professional field hockey player who plays as a forward for Dutch Hoofdklasse club Pinoké and the Belgian national team.
Arthur Georges Stanislas Henri Van Doren is a Belgian professional field hockey player who plays as a defender for Dutch Hoofdklasse club Bloemendaal and the Belgium national team.
Karri McMahon is an Australian field hockey player for the Hockeyroos who plays as a defender.
Malou Pheninckx is a Dutch women's field hockey player who currently plays as a midfielder for Netherlands women's national field hockey team. She also pursued her higher education at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the field of medicine.
Marijn Anne Elise Veen is a Dutch field hockey player who plays as a forward.
Lisanne Rosalie Desiree de Lange is a field hockey and indoor hockey player from the Netherlands, who plays as a forward.
