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Netherlands Antilles at the Olympics facts for kids

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Netherlands Antilles at the
Olympics
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles (1986–2010).svg
Flag of the Netherlands Antilles
IOC code AHO
NOC Nederlands Antilliaans Olympisch Comité
Website  
Medals
Ranked 134th
Gold Silver Bronze Total
0 1 0 1
Summer appearances
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000
  • 2004
  • 2008
Winter appearances
  • 1988
  • 1992
Other related appearances
 Aruba (1988–)
 Independent Olympic Athletes (2012)
 Netherlands (2016–)

The Netherlands Antilles was a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Athletes from these islands took part in the Olympic Games from 1952 until 2008.

The Netherlands Antilles was part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Because of this, they supported the Netherlands' decision not to go to the 1956 Games. They also joined the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics, meaning they did not send athletes. The Netherlands Antilles also competed in the Winter Olympic Games two times.

The National Olympic Committee for the Netherlands Antilles was set up in 1931. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized it from 1950 until 2011. This recognition ended when the Netherlands Antilles officially broke up. At the 2012 Olympics, athletes from the five islands competed as independent athletes. They marched under the official Olympic Flag.

History of the Netherlands Antilles at the Olympics

The Islands of the Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles was made up of several islands. These included:

In 1986, Aruba left the Netherlands Antilles. It became its own country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Since then, athletes from Aruba have competed separately. They use their own Olympic flag.

The Netherlands Antilles officially dissolved in 2010. After this, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba became special municipalities of the Netherlands. Curaçao and Sint Maarten became separate countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. From 2016 onwards, athletes from these five islands can choose to compete with the Netherlands Olympic team or Aruba's team.

All these islands are sometimes called the "Dutch Caribbean".

Flags Used by the Netherlands Antilles

The Netherlands Antilles used different flags over time.

After the Netherlands Antilles dissolved, some athletes competed as independent athletes. For example, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, three athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles competed. They used the Olympic Flag instead of a country flag.

End of the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee

Nederlands Antilliaans Olympisch Comité (logo)
Logo of the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee

After the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, the Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee was no longer recognized by the IOC. This meant it could not send its own team to the Olympics anymore.

At the 2012 Olympics, athletes from the five islands competed as independent athletes. They used the Olympic flag. Three athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles were part of the Independent Athletes team. These were Liemarvin Bonevacia (men's 400m athletics), Philipine Van Aanholt (women's laser radial class sailing), and Reginald de Windt (men's 81kg judo). All three were from Curaçao.

Another athlete, Churandy Martina, competed for the Netherlands in 2012. At the 2016 Olympics, Martina, Bonevacia, Hensley Paulina, and Jean-Julien Rojer competed for the Netherlands. Philipine Van Aanholt competed for Aruba.

Olympic Participation Timeline

How the Islands Competed Over Time

This table shows how athletes from these islands competed at the Olympics over the years.

Date Team
1900–1948  Netherlands (NED)
1952–1984  Netherlands Antilles (AHO)
1988–2008  Netherlands Antilles (AHO)  Aruba (ARU)
2012 as part of  Netherlands /
 Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA) (2012)
2014–  Netherlands (NED)

Netherlands Antilles Olympic Performance

Medals by Sport

The Netherlands Antilles won its only Olympic medal in sailing.

Sport Gold Silver Bronze Total
Sailing 0 1 0 1
Totals (1 entries) 0 1 0 1

List of Medalists

Jan Boersma was the only athlete from the Netherlands Antilles to win an Olympic medal. He won a silver medal in sailing in 1988.

Another athlete, Churandy Martina, almost won a silver medal in the men's 200m race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He finished second, right after Usain Bolt. However, he was disqualified after a protest because he ran outside of his lane during the race.

Medal Name Games Sport Event
22 Silver Boersma, JanJan Boersma South Korea 1988 Seoul Sailing pictogram.svg Sailing Men's Division II

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Antillas Neerlandesas en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

  • Aruba at the Olympics
  • Category:Olympic competitors for the Netherlands Antilles
  • Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics
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