Netherlands Antilles at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Netherlands Antilles at the Olympics
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:

•  Aruba (until 1986)
•  Curaçao
•  Sint Maarten
•  Bonaire
•  Sint Eustatius
•  Saba

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.

• 

  This six-star flag of the Netherlands Antilles was used until 1985. The six stars stood for the six islands of the Netherlands Antilles.

• 

  This five-star flag of the Netherlands Antilles was used from 1986 until the country dissolved. After Aruba left, only five stars remained on the flag.

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

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

Netherlands Antilles at the Summer Olympics This table shows how the Netherlands Antilles performed at the Summer Olympic Games. Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1952 Helsinki 11 0 0 0 0 – 1956 Melbourne did not participate 1960 Rome 5 0 0 0 0 – 1964 Tokyo 4 0 0 0 0 – 1968 Mexico City 5 0 0 0 0 – 1972 Munich 2 0 0 0 0 – 1976 Montreal 4 0 0 0 0 – 1980 Moscow did not participate 1984 Los Angeles 8 0 0 0 0 – 1988 Seoul 3 0 1 0 1 36 1992 Barcelona 4 0 0 0 0 – 1996 Atlanta 6 0 0 0 0 – 2000 Sydney 7 0 0 0 0 – 2004 Athens 3 0 0 0 0 – 2008 Beijing 3 0 0 0 0 – 2012 London as part of  Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA) 2016–present as part of  Netherlands (NED) Total 0 1 0 1 137

Netherlands Antilles at the Winter Olympics This table shows how the Netherlands Antilles performed at the Winter Olympic Games. Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1952–1984 did not participate 1988 Calgary 2 0 0 0 0 – 1992 Albertville 2 0 0 0 0 – 1994–2010 did not participate 2014–present as part of  Netherlands (NED) Total 0 0 0 0 –

Medals by Sport

The Netherlands Antilles won its only Olympic medal in sailing.

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
2 Silver	Boersma, JanJan Boersma	1988 Seoul	Sailing	Men's Division II

See also

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