King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited a rowing club on Friday to see the COVID pandemic’s impact on sports.
The King visited rowing club Willem III in Amsterdam where he received a tour of the grounds and spoke to competitive rower Simon van Dorp. Dorp explained spoke about his preparations for the Olympic Games and how COVID has impacted preparations. He also explained what his preparations for the world competition entails.
King Willem-Alexander spoke to the club’s oldest member as well as the youth who have joined the club’s ranks. COVID has especially affected rowing as it is no longer possible to practise in multi-person boats due to the 1.5-metre rule.
Later, His Majesty took part in a roundtable discussion with representatives from the Royal Dutch Rowing Federation, NOC * NSF, Federation for Health and the Dutch Student Rowing Federation. The importance of sports and the consequences of the pandemic in the sports world. They also discussed the limitations on rowing and their frustrations at not being able to train.
The Chairman of NOC * NSF, Anneke van Zanen, highlighted that the Dutch had gained 50 kilos together. The King shared that he has been exercising more over the past few months to stay healthy and avoid gaining the quarantine weight.
Willem III rowing club has over 800 members and was founded in 1882. It is one of the largest rowing clubs in Amsterdam and focuses on both competitive and recreational sports.
