The Netherland's national soccer team competed in the 1994 World Cup. Tennis, field hockey, swimming, sailing, ice-skating, wind surfing, basketball, badminton, and many other sports are also enjoyed. A few Dutch ride in competition, but most ride for their health and for transportation. People ride to work, to go shopping, for fun, or just to get around town. A visitor could easily tour the entire country on a bicycle.
People participate in sports through clubs.
Games are organized locally, regionally, or nationally depending on the level of the players. Each sport has a national association that oversees its organization. A ball must pass through a basket high above the players heads for points to be scored. Men and women play together in teams of twelve or eight. In years when the ice is hard enough, a day-long ice skating race takes place on a route that encompasses Friesland's 11 main towns and involves going across some parts of the sea.