The recent Olympic auction featuring sportswear from Dutch athletes exceeded expectations, raising substantial funds for skating clubs and the development of new trainers and officials.
Schaatsen.nl, Netherlands
The auction included contributions not only from speed skaters but also from other Dutch winter sports athletes such as bobsledders and skeleton racer Kimberley Bos. Over twenty skating and roller skating clubs benefited, with 75 percent of the proceeds allocated to the clubs to which the Olympians belong or have belonged.
Among the highest bids was the TeamNL speed skating suit worn by Jutta Leerdam, which sold for a record 195,000 euros on the MatchWorn Shirts (MWS) platform, a partner of TeamNL. This amount surpassed the previous record of 63,000 euros for a Cristiano Ronaldo shirt. Additional notable items included Leerdam’s jacket from the medal ceremonies, which fetched 4,826 euros, as well as speed skating suits from Femke Kok (4,802 euros), Antoinette de Jong (2,999 euros), Merel Conijn (2,999 euros), Joy Beune (2,810 euros), and Xandra Velzeboer (2,800 euros), alongside Jens van ‘t Wout’s jacket (3,000 euros).
A follow-up auction will be held during the World Allround and Sprint Championships at Thialf, where MWS will offer suits worn by twelve Dutch skaters. Proceeds from this auction will support the Royal Dutch Skating Federation (KNSB) in funding the free training of new trainers and officials. KNSB’s sports participation manager, Jurre Trouw, emphasized the importance of volunteers for the sport’s health and the quality of training and competitions. He noted that for every 100 euros raised, one trainer or official can be trained free of charge, reinforcing the value of such fundraising efforts. The auction opens on March 5, coinciding with the championship’s opening day, and interested supporters are encouraged to participate through the MWS website.
The Dutch participants at the ISU World Sprint Championships (March 5-6) include Femke Kok, Suzanne Schulting, Marrit Fledderus, Jenning de Boo, Joep Wennemars, and Janno Botman. For the ISU World Allround Championships (March 7-8), the Dutch competitors are Antoinette Rijpma-De Jong, Marijke Groenewoud, Joy Beune, Stijn van de Bunt, Chris Huizinga, and Marcel Bosker.
