by Alison Brown
Dr. Thomas Rietveld recently came back on the podcast to talk about one of my favorite things: wheelchair rugby. Dr. Rietveld worked on a study to reassess the classification system for females players in wheelchair rugby. Mixing murderball AND geeky sports science? Bring it on!
When Dr. Rietveld visited the show last time, he shared his work on wheelchair tennis, which got me thinking. Why is Dr. Rietveld’s native Netherlands so good in women’s wheelchair basketball and women’s wheelchair tennis?
Small and Mighty
According to Eurostat, less than 1% of the population of the Netherlands uses a wheelchair. That translates to around 150,000 people. Despite that tiny number, the Netherlands excels in women’s wheelchair sports at the Paralympics. Surprised? Take a look at their medal haul.
Netherlands Dominates Wheelchair Basketball
At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, the Netherlands won its second consecutive gold medal in women’s wheelchair basketball to go along with a pair of bronze medals from Rio 2016 and London 2012. Add to that four European titles and two world championships since 2017, and you have a Dutch dynasty stronger than the House of Orange-Nassau (royal reference #1).
The Dutch team is known for tactical innovation, strong team cohesion, resilience, and a powerful team-first approach.
How Many Dutch Women Does It Take to Own Wheelchair Tennis?
In wheelchair tennis too, Dutch women have dominated the medals. Between the women’s open division debut in Seoul 1988 and Rio 2016, the Netherlands won every gold and silver medal at the Paralympics. In London 2012, the Netherlands swept the podium: Esther Vengeer won her 4th straight gold, Aniek van Koot won the first of her three medals, and Jiske Griffioen took bronze. Diede de Groot took gold in singles and doubles in Tokyo 2020, partnering with van Koot. The Dutch stranglehold on gold was finally broken in Paris when de Groot suffered a shocking loss in the final after winning 15 straight grand slam titles. Eleven different Dutch women have won Paralympic medals in singles or doubles women’s wheelchair tennis.
What Doesn’t Make Them Good
So what accounts for the Orange Crush in women’s wheelchair sports?
Is it the popularity and dominance of Netherlands in the Olympic categories of tennis or basketball? No. When you think of Netherlands at the Olympics, you probably think of them for their success in cycling and speedskating, not tennis or basketball.
Since women’s basketball was introduced to the Olympics in 1976, Netherlands has never won a medal, nor even qualified for the Olympic tournament, though they have seen some success in 3×3. You have to go back to 1929 to find a woman winning a grand slam tournament in stand-up tennis and 1924 to find a woman medaling in Olympic tennis (Kea Bouman, bronze in Paris 1924 and 1929 French Open champion).
Could it be the support from the Dutch royal family? Sure King Willem-Alexander (royal reference #2) is famous for his love of sports; he ran the New York City Marathon in 1992 under the pseudonym W.A. van Buren. He, Queen Maxima (royal reference #3), and the king’s aunt Princess Margriet (royal reference #4) all attended the Paris 2024 Paralympics. The Dutch throne has a history of strong female leadership: Queens Beatrix (#5), Juliana (#6), and Wilhelmina (#7) led the country through the tumults of the 20th century. But even I don’t think this is really a factor.
Even the famous Dutch fans and their sea of orange shirts at events certainly raise the Dutch women’s game, but many countries have a vocal fan base, if not quite as colorful.
What Works Is No Surprise
What makes the Netherlands so good at wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis are the same things that make any country good at any sport: culture, opportunity, and money.
Culture
According to a study done by McKinsey & Company, the Netherlands ranked #1 in the world for disability rights and standard of living for people with disabilities. Public transportation, public buildings, and athletic facilities are widely and easily wheelchair accessible.
In the Netherlands, para-athletes and female athletes are viewed as strong and capable high-performing competitors. Dutch practicality works to these athletes’ advantage.
Money and Opportunities
The Netherlands’ social support system for people with disabilities contributes to a wide and active pool of talent. Basketball star Bo Kramer, for example, discovered wheelchair basketball at age 14 through a Paralympic Talent Day hosted by the Dutch Paralympic Committee. Diede de Groot started wheelchair tennis at age 7 at a local court as part of her rehabilitation after surgery.
Both sports have access to national training centers. In 2011, the Dutch national training facility for Paralympic athletes opened in Arnhem allowing wheelchair basketball players to train full-time and receive monthly salaries. The Wheelchair Tennis National Centre in Amstelveen offers accessible facilities, including indoor and outdoor courts, for training. Both programs allow athletes to train with a variety of players and veterans are encouraged to play with and against younger players to help improve their skills.
What’s Next for These Paralympic Champions?
Don’t expect to see the Dutch disappear from either sports podiums any time soon. The women’s wheelchair basketball team is headed to Sarajevo next week to compete at the 2025 IWBF European Championships. They are the favorite to win. Diede de Groot has struggled with injury in 2025, but retained her #1 world ranking. Newcomer Lizzy doubles partner Aniek van Koot and newcomer Lizzy de Greef moved from success in the junior ranks and made her grand slam women’s debut at U.S Open.
Maxima (royal reference #8) may be the Queen of Style, but these women are Queens of the Courts.