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Abstract
This essay explores the background to the organization of the 1928 Olympic Games, and the impact of hosting the Games on Amsterdam's position as a city of prominence in Europe and indeed the world. Going back to the founding days of the City of Amsterdam, the city's heritage will be used to provide a platform for more recent political rhetoric and actual policy plans for Amsterdam to potentially bid for the 2028 Games, 100 years since the first time they hosted the event. Next to (part) speculation on why Amsterdam should or should not bid for the Olympics again, the essay will take a comparative perspective, evaluating both the 1928 and 2028 cases to identify if reasons for wanting to organize the Olympic Games are based on similar or quite different legacy intent and if legacy intent is founded upon distinguishing features of the city's heritage.
Notes
1 The author has purposely chosen to use the City of Amsterdam as the potential host for the 2028 Olympic Games, irrespective of the Dutch Olympic Committee and senior spokespersons for the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam not taking a definitive stand on which city (or indeed which ‘wider region’ of the Netherlands that is simply branded as one city) will be chosen (in 2016) to become the formally (nationally) endorsed city (region) to bid for the Olympic Games. In the context of this essay, which reflects on the legacy of the Games in relation to the City (heritage) of Amsterdam, it seemed appropriate to compare apples with apples and from that perspective consider the capital of the Netherlands to also be the primary candidate for the 2028 Games, having organized the Games in 1928. For further reading refer to the Dutch publications by CitationNOC* CitationNSF, Olympisch Plan 2028, AV stuk osps 2028; NOC*NSF, Olympisch Plan 2028, presentation to Council (powerpoint); Citationde Jong, ‘Concurrentie tussen steden, daar is niets mis mee’; and CitationSchotanus, ‘Amsterdam wil meer zijn dan een runner-up’.
2 CitationMak, Amsterdam, 1.
3 CitationMak, Amsterdam, 3.
4 CitationMak, Amsterdam, 3–4.
5 In the official Dutch government publication History of the Netherlands it is described how the lage landen (low countries) formally have been part of the Holy Roman Empire until 1648 when the Republic of the seven provinces was formally recognized by Rome and long time foe, the Crown of Spain.
6 For a detailed and extensive description of the history of the Middle Ages with particular focus on the Low Countries see, for example, CitationJansen, Geschiedenis van de Middeleeuwen.
7 Mak, Amsterdam, 21, 22.
8 As outlined in De kracht van het landschap produced by the CitationStuurgroep Metropolitane Landschap (a working group of the urban planning department of the City of Amsterdam).
9 CitationKohnstamm and Cassee, Het cultureel woordenboek, 348.
10 CitationForeign Information Service, History of the Netherlands, 26–8.
11 Kohnstamm and Cassee, Het cultureel woordenboek, 346–50.
12 Foreign Information Service, History of the Netherlands, 30–4.
13 Citationvan de Vooren, ‘De onzichtbare verandering van Amsterdam’.
14 Citationvan Rossem. The 9th Olympiad.
15 Citationvan Rossem. The 9th Olympiad, 60.
16 Citationvan Rossem. The 9th Olympiad, 64.
17 CitationWagner, ‘Die Olympische Spiele 1928’, 53.
18 CitationWagner, ‘Die Olympische Spiele 1928’, 38.
19 CitationArnoldussen, Amsterdam 1928.
20 See, for example, CitationFrommer, Olympic Controversies and CitationWei, ed. The Olympic Image.
21 Citationvan de Vooren, ‘Al in 1947 had amsterdam grote olympische ambities’.
22 van den Berg, personal correspondence, August 2008. Max van den Berg was the project director in charge of preparing the final bid presentation.
23 CitationSmeets, Spelen, 131.
24 CitationSmeets, Spelen, 131–9.
25 van den Berg, personal correspondence, August 2008.
26 For an elaborate explanation of what are the most important factors to consider when bidding for hallmark sporting events and principles of city marketing, see CitationIngerson and Westerbeek, ‘Determining Key Success Criteria’; Citationvan den Berg, Braun and Otgaar, Sports and City Marketing; and Westerbeek, Turner and Ingerson, ‘Key Success Factors’, 303–22.
27 CitationBontje and Sleutjes, The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, 9.
28 Ibid., 16.
29 Ibid., 17.
31 At http://www.noordvleugel2040.nl/english
32 For an extensive overview of the progress of the Noordvleugel/Amsterdam Metropolitan Area project see , Ontwikkelingsbeeld Noordvleugel 2040 and Stadsplan Amsterdam; Stuurgroep Metropolitane Landschap, De kracht van het landschap; and at http://www.noordvleugel2040.nl
33 CitationGehrels, ‘Toespraak wethouder bij het jaarlijks congress van de vereniging sport en gemeenten’.
34 Citationvan Hoorn, Hornis and van der Wagt. ‘Dutch Delta Games’.
35 Citationvan Hoorn, Hornis and van der Wagt. ‘Dutch Delta Games’, and CitationDamen, ‘De Randstad is Amsterdam’.
36 Citationvan Dam, ‘Amsterdam 1928’.
37 van Hoorn, Hornis and van der Wagt. ‘Dutch Delta Games’, 8.
38 CitationSturkenboom, ‘Sportief ondernemen’, 9.
39 NOC*NSF, Olympisch Plan 2028, AV stuk osps 2028, 2.
40 See NOC*NSF, Olympisch Plan 2028, AV stuk osps 2028 and NOC*NSF, Olympisch Plan 2028, presentation to Council (powerpoint).
41 Arnoldussen, Amsterdam 1928.
42 I am indebted to the critical reflection and insightful comments on earlier drafts of this essay provided by drs. Rob de Vries (Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport), ir. Hans Leeflang (Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management) and Professor Max van den Berg (University of Utrecht).