Dutch Olympic squad expected to take home 38 medals during the Summer Games in Paris

With 100 days to go until the Summer Olympics in Paris, the NOC*NSF has officially started the countdown. Sports data agency Gracenote expects a record 38 medals - 18 gold, five silver, and 15 bronze - for the Dutch team, putting the Netherlands in fourth place in the forecast, NOS reports.

Despite wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and concern about terrorist attacks around the Paris Games, Andre Cats, the top sports director at the national sports association NOC*NSF, looks forward to the Summer Games full of confidence.

“I cannot deny that we are dealing with a terrorist threat in Paris. It exists. But that has been the case at all Olympic Games to a greater or lesser extent,” Cats told NOS. "The French government takes the aspect of safety incredibly seriously. We have the guarantee that the French will do everything they can to organize the Summer Games safely."

Approximately 280 Dutch athletes will compete in the Paris Games between July 26 and August 11. Cats is optimistic about TeamNL’s chances. “The starting position is good. As Dutch sport, we have had an excellent pre-Olympic year.”

The Tokyo Olympic Games' results serve as a blueprint for Paris. In Japan, TeamNL made 188 starts in various sports and ended on the podium in 19 percent of the cases. The Dutch athletes brought home 36 medals: 10 gold, 12 silver, and 14 bronze.

To get the whole of the Netherlands excited about the Summer Games, the NOC*NSF is counting down to the opening ceremony on over 2,700 screens in shopping centers, supermarkets, gas stations, and train stations. “We hope to encourage the Netherlands, especially children and young people, to get involved,” NOC*NSF CMO Baukje ter Huurne said.