Dutch Athlete of the Year

The Dutch Athlete of the Year (Dutch: atleet van het jaar) is an annual award given to competitors in the sport of athletics from the Netherlands by the Atletiekunie. A shortlist is drawn up by a group of Atletiekunie officials and sports journalists. This shortlist then goes to a vote to all Atletiekunie members.

The award was inaugurated in 1933 as the Sauer Cup (Dutch: Sauer-beker). This was renamed to the KNAU Cup in 1946, as the eponymous Sauer had collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. Initially a mixed gender award, the best Dutch male and female athletes were recognised separately from 1959 onwards. The men's award was called the Herman van Leeuwen Cup during this period. Since 1993, the award has been known as the Dutch Athlete of the Year. Junior male athletes also gained recognition through the Albert Spree Cup from 1951 while the best junior female athlete was first awarded the Fanny Blankers-Koen plaque in 1959. A mixed gender junior award is now known as the Talent of the Year. The Joke van Rijswijk Prize was added in 2004 in recognition of services to disability athletics.^[1]

Winners[]

Sauer Cup

KNAU Cup

Herman van Leeuwen Cup and KNAU Cup

See also[]

• Dutch Footballer of the Year
• Dutch Sportsman of the year
• The Amsterdam Sports Award

References[]