Most Dutch ice rinks ignore national sports council helmet recommendation

Only three of the Netherlands’ 21 artificial ice rinks currently require skaters to wear helmets, despite a September recommendation from the Dutch Sportraad to make helmet use mandatory to prevent serious head injuries, EenVandaag reports.

Thialf in Heerenveen, De Elfstedenhal in Leeuwarden, and IJsbaan De Vliet in Leiden have implemented helmet rules, while the other 18 rinks offer only advice. Recreational skaters are generally encouraged to wear helmets, but gloves remain the only widely enforced safety requirement.

“Last year we introduced the rule after a serious incident on the ice,” Yvonne Kager, business manager at Thialf, told EenVandaag. “An ambulance had to be called. Breaking a wrist is unpleasant, but it heals in six weeks. Head injuries can have far more serious consequences.”

Some rink operators cite cost concerns as a barrier. At the Haarlem ice rink, helmets are not mandatory. “Who will enforce it? Who will pay for the helmets?” asked director Rob Kleefman. “Entrance is 4 euros, skate rental is 5 euros, and a helmet would be another 4 euros. Skating becomes even pricier.”

Haarlem still strongly recommends helmet use. “Our slogan, ‘Skate Safely,’ appears on our website and on signs around the rink,” Kleefman said. Helmets are required for training and lessons, and Kleefman personally wears one to set an example.

Trauma surgeon Rein de Haan, an avid skater, said serious head injuries account for about 10 percent of skating accidents. “It may not sound like much, but these injuries can last six months,” he told EenVandaag. “When someone falls, they slide like a bowling ball and can knock others down like pins, hitting the back of their head hard.”

Professional skaters do wear helmets in higher-risk events, including marathons, mass starts, team pursuits, and short track competitions, Kager noted. Kleefman compared skating to skiing: “Helmets were once rare on ski slopes; now every skier wears one. I expect the same trend for skating in the coming years.”