36 replies to this topic

[Texas]

Today, the Netherlands Antilles ceased to be. It'll be interesting to see what happens in London 2012. Anyone know for sure what happens to the former Dutch Antilles in regards to the Olympics? Do they go with separate entities (ala The United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and US Virgin Islands) or do they combine (like France and its overseas possessions)?

[baron-pierreIV]

OMG! My two gold medals while competing for the D.A. became all that much rarer!!

[Athan]

On the IOC website, the Netherlands Antilles is still listed as a NOC, but I don't think these islands want to compete together in London.

[Citius Altius Fortius]

press release of the NOC of the Netherlands Antilles (translated from dutch by google tanslator)

press release on facebook

Future Olympic athletes right?

Willemstad, 17 September 2010



The Olympic Committee (NAOC) in 2005 began preparing for the structural changes in the Antilles. The first question that NAOC to the highest international sports body the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was whether St. Maarten and Curacao Olympic individual could be recognized. IOC pointed out, however, their regulation in the Olympic Charter, which since 1996 included only independent territories that qualify for an Olympic qualification.



Taking into account the original date (July 2007) to which the Netherlands Antilles would fall apart, organized NAOC in 2006 several meetings with the Antillean lidfederaties the essential information exchange, as well as to ultimately make a decision on possible alternatives:



1. All federations and NAOC lift providing our athletes with their Dutch passport in the future will represent Netherlands

2. All federations and NAOC lift providing our athletes with their Dutch passport in the future will represent Aruba

3. The IOC requests for both the federations and the NAOC order to continue to recognize our athletes the opportunity to continue at regional and international levels to remain active.



Subsequently, the NAOC several deputies and the Minister of Sport by a specially convened meeting (Sports Talk Ned. Antilles, October 19, 2006) informed on this matter. The national federations signed a unanimous resolution on July 5, 2007 which was elected to both the sporting and NAOC maintain. The IOC held its decision, however, because local politicians, the date for the dissolution of the West Indies moved to October 10, 2010.



In 2009, however, a movement arose in Curacao who believed that Curacao certainly could get Olympic recognition, notwithstanding the rule that only independent countries eligible. NAOC in turn reviewed the situation through a specially relied on commission, but konklueerde that international rules were clear. The IOC has also a letter dated June 28, 2007 confirmed. Curacao Sports Federation was accompanied by the IOC through an email on April 24, 2009 reference, and the IOC reiterated its position in a letter on August 23, 2010.



NAOC had a meeting with the IOC on September 8, 2010 in Mexico, where the IOC representatives gave details about their analysis of the situation. An internal committee will meet in September to end an advice to the IOC Executive Board, probably next year will take a final decision. As it stands there is no legal basis for maintaining NAOC. This means that after the 2012 London Olympics our athletes Netherlands and Aruba will vertegenwoordigen.Om a conservation of the federations and the NAOC to be taken into consideration, both the unions and the politicians on the islands should confirm their views.



NAOC has meetings with her Olympic lidfederaties and has also requested meetings with the deputies. Unfortunately, CSF has an invitation from NAOC rejected an emergency meeting with the request that it be put back to October.

[Victor Mata]

Now Argentina is the undisputed first country to march in the stadium in the PanAms
Argentina is always the first as they were the first hosts in 1951

[Athan]

That's a bit unfair for the former Netherlands Antilles, Aruba can compete individually and the rest can't. Option 3 seems the best for them, although competing with the Dutch team might be interesting too, as these people will end up top-20 on the medals table for the first time
Competing for Aruba is absurd...

[Texas]

Sorry for the major bump, but there is a bit of an update on this:

Work is said to be "on going" in the situation while the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Executive Board has been informed and is working on a solution likely to be presented at their meeting in Lausanne next month.

The Netherlands Antilles was made-up originally of communities from various islands that formed a single autonomous country within the Netherlands.

But it was dissolved in October and they are now special municipalities of the Netherlands.

An IOC spokesperson told insidethegames: "The International Olympic Committee is in discussions with all parties involved in order to identify the best possible approach and solution(s) to this issue.

"It is our goal to find an outcome that complies with the Olympic Charter and preserves the interests of the athletes - in particular with regards to the 2012 London Games - as well as one that ensures the development of sport in the area."

The Netherlands Antilles Olympic Committee joined the the IOC in 1950 and made its debut in the Games at Helsinki two years later when their football team were beaten 2-1 by Turkey.

They have competed in every Games since 1960 except Moscow in 1980 when they joined the boycott over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Three athletes represented Netherlands Antilles at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Churandy Martina (pictured) in athletics, Philip Elhage in shooting and Rodion Davelaar in swimming.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) have already removed the Netherlands Antilles' membership and athletes like Martina will in future compete under the Dutch flag.

IAAF general secretary Pierre Weiss told insidethegames: "This case is very simple.

"Netherlands Antilles was never a state, it was a territory.

"None of the athletes from Antilles had an Antilles passport; they all had Dutch passports and were therefore Dutch.

"We have therefore accepted that athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles they are eligible to represent the Netherlands with immediate effect.

"What the IOC will do for the Olympic Games is their business but I know they are working hard to find a solution."

The International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) and the International Federation of Swimming (FINA) have not made a formal decision on the matter but have both indicated to insidethegames that are "closely following the situation" with along with the IOC.

Jan_BoersmaJan Boersma (pictured) is the only Netherlands Antillean athlete to have won an Olympic medal, a silver medal in sailing at the Seoul 1988 Games.

Martina could have actually added another silver to the collection, after he finished second in 200 metre final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics behind Usain Bolt and his world record breaking performance.

But he lost the medal after a controversial American led protest stated that he ran out of his lane during the race.

Although an appeal was made against Martina's disqualification it was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

http://www.insidethegames.biz/summer-olympics/2012/11412-netherlands-antilles-participation-at-london-2012-in-doubt

[gotosy]

extract from AP article:

...
In separate actions on the final day of a two-day executive board meeting, the IOC suspended Ghana's national Olympic committee for political interference and cleared the way for athletes from the former Netherlands Antilles to compete as independent athletes at the London Games.
...

[gotosy]

from IOC:

...
Netherlands Antilles: The IOC Executive Board carefully examined the situation of the NOC of the Netherlands Antilles and the athletes of the five islands in the light of the new institutional and constitutional structure that has been effective as from 10 October 2010.

In view of the Olympic Charter and having noted that, as a consequence of the formal dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010, this territory no longer legally exists as such, the IOC Executive Board took the following decisions:

1. Propose that the forthcoming IOC Session in Durban (July 2011) withdraw IOC recognition from the Netherlands Antilles NOC (with a number of accompanying measures for the athletes linked to the 2012 Olympic Games in London).

2. Ask for close cooperation from the IFs concerned aimed at (i) safeguarding the interests of the athletes and facilitating a smooth transition in the framework of their competences and competitions and (ii) ensuring the application of the measures for the athletes that will be taken by the IOC vis-à-vis the 2012 Olympic Games.

3. Confirm that, pursuant to the rules of the Olympic Charter currently in force, no new NOC can be recognised for any of the five islands which made up the “Netherlands Antilles” until 10 October 2010.

These decisions were taken in the legal scope of the Olympic Charter, but also with a view to preserving and protecting wherever possible the interests of the athletes of these islands.
...

http://www.olympic.org/media?articleid=112731&articlenewsgroup=-1

[gotosy]

Netherlands Antilles

As a consequence of the formal dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010 and the new institutional and constitutional structure within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and in line with the Olympic Charter, the IOC Session on 8 July ratified the decision proposed by the IOC EB earlier this year.

It thus decided to withdraw IOC recognition from the NOC of the Netherlands Antilles and approve a number of accompanying measures aimed essentially at preserving as much as possible the interests of the athletes, particularly with regard to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The athletes from the five islands that made up the former Netherlands Antilles who would be eligible for the London 2012 Olympic Games will have the possibility to qualify for and take part in the London 2012 Olympic Games as independent athletes under the Olympic flag. To achieve this, a temporary administrative structure (put in place by the former Netherlands Antilles NOC) will operate as a technical entity until the end of the London 2012 Olympic Games under the IOC’s supervision and with the IOC’s support.

IOC