The Dutch love to cycle, for business and pleasure. Many of them cycle to and from work. The bicycle is practically the national means of transport.
When the country's lakes and ditches freeze over, thousands of people strap on their skates. The Elfstedentocht is the best known skating event in the Netherlands. But it is also a rare one. It can only take place if the ice is firm the whole length of the course - which is possible only after several days of severe frost. Some participants skate competitively; others do it just for fun. Competitors start first. Then thousands of non-competitive skaters try to complete the 220-km-long course through 11 Frisian towns within the time required.
Sport is an important part of life in the Netherlands. Of the country's 16 million people, 4.7 million are members of its 35,000 sports clubs. The state subsidises sports clubs not only to promote healthy living, but also because it recognises their social role. Most of their income comes from membership fees, admission charges, and revenue from the football pools and lotteries. Sports policy is largely in the hands of the national federation of sporting organisations, the NOC*NSF.
As well as taking part in sport, the Dutch also like to watch it. Thousands of supporters travel to stadiums with their favourite clubs or sporting heroes. Football, in particular, attracts many thousands of supporters. Unfortunately, this also causes problems. The police often have to prevent high-risk matches from ending in pitched battles between rival football hooligans. But when national teams play against other countries, supporters swathe themselves in orange and the whole country stands behind its national heroes.
