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Softball Team is now Olympic
ALMERE (Netherlands) - On Thursday, July 3, the several Dutch national team and individual athletes were officially handed over by their respective federations to Charles van Commenée and Thea Limbach, respectively the Chef de Missions of the Netherlands Olympic Team and the Netherlands Paralympic Team by NOC*NSF (Netherlands Olympic Committee) Chairman Erica Terpstra.
While both the Dutch Baseball and Softball Team were in attendance, they didn't participate in the presentation of the Olympic Team, as their rosters have yet to be finalized, which will be done later this month. At the moment, the Olympic Team consists of 237 athletes, two shy of the record which was set for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
The event in the Topsportcentrum in Almere was hosted by TV-presenter Yvon Jaspers, who won the 2006 Silver Televizier Award for Best Female TV-personality, and Sportsreporter Toine van Peperstraten, who is one of the anchors of TV's 'NOS Studio Sport' since 1993.
The two interviewed family-members of the Olympic athletes, but also former and current athletes who have participated in previous Olympics or will go to the Beijing Olympics.
NOC*NSF Chairman Erica Terpstra (left) greets Dutch coaches Liz Kelly and Linda Wells
Dutch Head Coach Liz Kelly rehearses for an Olympic video-shoot
Rob Veldkamp, who will be the Dutch softball-umpire in Beijing,
Nina van Huissteden, her parents and Sandra Gouverneur
stand together before the official part of the send-off started
Rebecca Soumeru and Debby Connor pose with
Danny Rombley and Vince Rooi of the Dutch Baseball Team
Hosts Yvon Jaspers and Toine van Peperstraten
The Olympic clothing is being showed
Hosts Yvon Jaspers and Toine van Peperstraten talk with NOC*NSF Chairman Erica Terpstra
Dutch Singer Alain Clark performs
The Netherlands Olympic Team is presented and is officially handed over to
the Netherlands Olympic Committee for the send-off to Beijing
Members of the Olympic Team walk across the cat-walk
Dana Horeman and Nina van Huissteden
Chinese artists perform afterwards
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