Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Skating marathon on natural ice, 8 February 2012
Skating marathon on natural ice, 8 February 2012 - Credit: Alias 0591 / Wikimedia Commons - License: CC-BY
Nature
Sports
KNSB
Mark Rutte
Coronavirus
natural ice skating marathon
Tuesday, 9 February 2021 - 18:30
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Dutch gov't considering "natural ice bubble" for marathon skaters

The government is considering whether a "bubble" can be created for marathon skaters to hold competitions on natural ice, similar to the bubble for long track speed skaters holding competitions in Thialf. In such a bubble, athletes have no contact with the outside world and are tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, NOS reports.

"Maybe we can learn something from that," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said, adding that the cabinet is consulting with skating union KNSB and the security regions on this point. 

Sporting competitions are not allowed under the coronavirus restrictions. On Monday, marathon skating teams wrote an open letter to the KNSB, pleading for a way to hold marathons. 

"Track marathons are fun, foreign natural ice is beautiful, but the current marathon skaters have now been training for more than eight years to skate a race on Dutch natural ice. They never had the chance, because the ice was simply not there. And will possibly never be again. And now that ice is coming after all and we are not allowed," the teams said.

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Five young children seriously injured in head-on crash
  • Former cop accused of handling €4.2 million in money laundering scheme
  • Police break-up doctors’ protest at Parliament; Cabinet looking for work pressure solutions
  • Dutch inflation down to 9.9 percent in June
  • Facebook completely withdraws plan for controversial data center
  • Man, 35, arrested in Lelystad girl's Amber Alert case

Top stories

  • Five young children seriously injured in head-on crash
  • Many new rules in effect from July 1 in the Netherlands
  • Cabinet wants to ban protests in front of politicians’ homes after farmers incidents
  • Schools will remain open even during a severe Covid outbreak
  • Abolition of slavery commemorated in Amsterdam; Many companies give a day off
  • Girl named in Amber Alert found safe, police say

© 2012-2022, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content