The Netherlands will host an Olympic competition for the first time in more than a century after organisers of the 2030 winter games in France confirmed that the skating events will be held in Friesland.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) cleared the way last week for Heerenveen to stage the long-track races because there is no suitable venue in the French Alps. The local committee confirmed the decision on Monday.
Sports minister Mirjam Sterk said it was a “unique opportunity” for the Netherlands to showcase its skating facilities at the winter Olympics.
Anneke van Zanen-Nieberg, chair of the Dutch Olympic committee NOC*NSF’s supervisory board, said: “I see this decision as a sign of great trust in our efforts to make a fantastic event as part of the French Games”.
It is not the first time Olympic events have been organised outside the host country: the equestrian events for the summer Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 were held in Stockholm, Sweden, because of Australian quarantining rules.
Skaters unconvinced
Thialf has received €37.5 million in subsidies from national and local government to make its stadium more sustainable, one of the demands of the IOC in its “2025+5” strategy.
Sterk said the investment would repay itself and be “a great chance not just for Friesland, but for the Netherlands to put ourselves on the map in the eyes of the world.”
But the skaters themselves are said to be less than enthused at the prospect of racing at their home stadium, 1000km away from the centre of the action in Lyon and the Savoy region.
Gold medallist and world record holder at 500m Femke Kok said she was worried she would “miss the Olympic atmosphere”, while coach Jillert Anema called it a “naïve plan”.
But Sterk said she expected the scepticism to fade as the stadium is developed to include a medal plaza and an athlete’s village. She also said the expansion would be designed to ensure the local community benefited from the facilities.
“That’s the assessment the IOC itself made,” she said. “They said they couldn’t just have infrastructure put down for the Olympic Games that is never used again.
“Thialf is a sustainable ice rink due to the solar panels on its roof that have been there for years.”
Edgar Grospiron, chair of the French organising committee, said Thialf was the only serious contender to stage the skating events.
“It is a first for the Olympic movement that we are sharing the organisation of these winter games with another country,” he said. “We are pleased that we are welcome at the home of international long-track skating.”
