Olympisch

Olympisch is the Dutch adjective that corresponds to the English word Olympic and is used to describe events, athletes, or items that are related to the Olympic Games. The term derives from the Greek word Olympios, meaning “of or belonging to the mountains of Olympus,” which was the ancient name used for the original Olympiad competitions held in Greece.

In Dutch, olympisch is employed in a variety of contexts. It modifies sports that are featured in the Olympic program, such as het olympische zwemmen (the Olympic swimming), het olympische hardlopen (the Olympic running), and het olympische wielrennen (the Olympic cycling). The word also appears in compound nouns, for instance de olympische commissie (the Olympic committee) and de olympische barometer (the Olympic barometer, a term used in sports science to gauge the pace of a race).

The Dutch language has a long tradition of borrowing terms from English and French for international sports. As with many languages, the Germanic root of the term has been preserved, but the spelling conforms to Dutch orthographic norms: the double “s” in comparison to the English “Olympic.”

Internationally, Dutch speakers frequently use the term in media coverage of the Olympic Games, in athlete profiles, and in the naming of national Olympic committees. The national Olympic committee of the Netherlands is called the Nederlands Olympisch Comité. The term olympisch also appears in official documentation related to qualification and accreditation for Olympic events.

Overall, olympisch functions as a familiar, technical adjective in Dutch sports discourse and is integral to the linguistic representation of the modern Olympic movement in the Netherlands.