Athletes bring the Olympic flame to life at the provincial government building

With passionate stories, top athletes and sports talents made the Olympic flame come alive at the provincial government building in Haarlem on Tuesday, March 24. Stories of falling, getting back up, and picking yourself up again. And about the ultimate joy when something you’ve trained endlessly for finally works out.

The networking event "Stronger Together in Sport" shed light on all sides of the medal. From struggling on the sidelines to achieving the highest honor: Olympic gold. The images sports enthusiasts usually don’t get to see at home are those of talents who work full-time and then train for hours on end, day in and day out. There’s no guarantee of success, nor is there time for family or a social life, as speed skating talent Jennifer Buis from Wervershoof explained. She moved closer to the skating rink to turn travel time into extra training hours.

A passion for skating

With sparkling eyes, Buis shared how her grandfather passed on his love for skating to her. She spoke of the pride she felt when, after years of hard work, she was able to represent the Netherlands in an international competition—a feeling she’ll never forget and the best motivation to become even better.

Fencing talent Talitha Sluman, speaking passionately in the packed Johan Remkes Hall, shared her love for sport. “What I love most is training a specific move until it finally works in a competition. It gives such an incredible sense of fulfillment.” Her fencing brother was her role model for a long time. “But now I’m better than he is,” the 18-year-old Dutch champion laughed, addressing master of ceremonies Jan van der Meulen.

Collaboration

Talent development was one of the key topics at the networking event, where guests were welcomed with streamers, orange pastries decorated with Olympic rings, and a Winter Games compilation playing on large screens. To spark the conversation, the province of North Holland brought together around 125 top athletes, sports talents, entrepreneurs, sports organizations, and administrators. The goal: to discuss how collaboration between sports and business can contribute to social impact and talent development.

North Holland took a step forward at the beginning of 2026 with its new sports policy ‘Sportief Noord-Holland’, aiming to further support regional sports talent. To achieve this, the province partnered with the Yvonne van Gennip Talent Fund and launched the Talentboek Noord-Holland platform. On this platform, sports talents like Jennifer Buis can showcase themselves and raise funds for their sporting goals.

Pride

“I’m proud that the province has once again placed sports policy on the agenda,” said Deputy for Sports Jeroen Olthof. “Sport is an essential provision for keeping North Holland livable and vibrant. But it’s also about ensuring that everyone can participate in sports. As a society, we must work hard to make that happen. The province contributes, for example, by sponsoring events like the Special Olympics National Games Haarlem and supporting municipalities in their sports policies. Every North Holland resident with talent deserves a chance to thrive. Due to high costs, that’s not a given right now.”

Olthof issued a call to businesses to raise €100,000 this year for sports talents. “The province is contributing the first €20,000, which will go directly to the talents via Talentboek Noord-Holland.”

Orange confetti shower

Earlier in the afternoon, Olthof, together with King’s Commissioner Arthur van Dijk, honored five North Holland athletes who competed in the Winter Games: skaters Merel Conijn, Bente Kerkhoff, and Isabelle van Elst, and bobsledders Dave Wesselink and Timme Koster. The Olympians received the sports medal of North Holland, a personal speech, and an orange confetti shower. North Holland’s Olympians and Paralympians who couldn’t attend will receive the medal at a later date.

Former top athletes Lisanne de Roever and Nicolien Sauerbreij took to the stage to share their long, bumpy journey to Olympic gold. Snowboarder Sauerbreij brought the gold medal she won in Vancouver in 2008 to Haarlem. “As an extra boost for the talents here. If anyone wants to take a bite out of it, I’ll happily pull it out of my bag,” she said.

Ring as a keepsake

Sauerbreij then shared that she had the outer edge of the medal sanded down to turn it into a ring—a lasting reminder, worn on her ring finger, of the fact that she “didn’t take the easiest path to success.” Because snowboarding was an unknown sport in the Netherlands at the time, Sauerbreij was long ignored by potential sponsors. Most interest came only after she had already made a name for herself.

“You have to perform before anyone invests in you,” agreed former hockey goalkeeper De Roever. “That’s not entirely fair, because it’s precisely at the start of a career that talents need support.” The message from the gold medal winners: dare to invest in top-level sports. “That’s essential if we want to continue seeing Olympic successes like this year,” said De Roever.

Building connections

Yet it’s not just about money, said Commissioner Van Dijk. “Sport is also about bringing people together, fostering connections, and broadening horizons.” De Roever, who works as a top sports coordinator for Topsport Haarlemmermeer, had a great example of this. “Recently, I received an email from a para-badminton player who wasn’t feeling fulfilled in her job. Within half an hour, seven companies from our network responded, saying they wanted to see her CV. This week, she starts at one of those companies.”

Businesses can also help by offering internships or guiding athletes toward a career in society, it was emphasized. Kees van Oosten, secretary of Talentboek, told the talents in attendance to “get out there.” That they should already be “making their mark socially for their careers after sports.”

A healthy dose of courage

Van Oosten meant to say that investment comes from both sides. But in the end, it’s often the small details that make the difference—like showing a healthy dose of courage at the right moment. Fencer Talitha Sluman’s appeal to entrepreneurs fit the bill: “Investing in athletes isn’t just investing in a result; it’s investing in a process and in publicity. And if you deduct that amount from your profits, you’ll also pay less in corporate tax.” With that zinger, Sluman got everyone laughing and positioned herself ahead of the closing networking session.

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