Just as on the Queen's official birthday, the country has a carnival look to it during the international skating and football championships. During the European and World Championships, chauvinism knows no bounds in a country otherwise noted for its sobriety. Police officers decorate their uniforms and office workers wear orange ties behind their computer terminals. With any luck, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander will be leading a polonaise somewhere or other. The House of Orange as the symbol of a nation's hopes.
Gold medals go a long way in making up for a chronic lack of political and economic clout.
For a country its size, the Netherlands had achieved considerable sporting success. The fact that people outside the country are not particularly interested in speed skating is of strictly secondary importance. Double Olympic medallist Gianni Romme is a famous sports personality, at least in his own country. Everyone skates in Holland, where an excess of water and a lack of snow combine to make for ideal skating conditions during the winter freeze. Pea soup is the staple diet of skaters who ride long-distance treks past windmills and dykes.