Dutch ice skating competitions were held on the ice in Luleå, Sweden, over the weekend. 4-kilometer-long track on frozen sea ice in Södra Hamnen, with speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour. The weather was sunny with temperatures just below freezing.
Birgit Lind, who works for Luleå Municipality, has been providing live Swedish commentary for the event for two years to educate Swedish-speaking spectators about the sport, describing the participants as the world's best marathon skaters and noting that only the Dutch can manage it. Alongside the Dutch competitions, Luleå on Ice was organized with activities like sled dogs, snowball fights, a market, and other winter events, leading to a full turnout on the ice. Luleå Municipality, as the organizer, also celebrated reaching 80,000 inhabitants.
describing the participants as the world's best marathon skaters and noting that only the Dutch can manage it
The Dutch ice skating events are both livestreamed and broadcast on Dutch TV for a million-strong audience, resulting in an increase in Dutch tourists. According to Birgit Lind, a special love relationship has grown between Luleå and the Netherlands, with Dutch visitors embracing local activities like basketball, hockey, dining out, and shopping. A Dutch TV team from NOS, the Dutch equivalent of SVT, was in Luleå to cover the competitions, with reporters Matthijs Weststrate and Rachid El Mourif noting that 99 percent of the audience is located over 200 miles away in the Netherlands, where ice skating is a cultural tradition.
a special love relationship has grown between Luleå and the Netherlands, with Dutch visitors embracing local activities like basketball, hockey, dining out, and shopping
99 percent of the audience is located over 200 miles away in the Netherlands, where ice skating is a cultural tradition