Olympic skating legend Bob de Jong studied sports management at Johan Cruyff Institute due to his interest in the business side of sport
In the Netherlands, the name Bob de Jong is synonymous with success in sport. A former elite speed skater and current coach, Bob de Jong made a name for himself specializing in the 5 and 10 kilometer distances. His achievements speak for themselves: Olympic gold in Turin 2006, Olympic silver in Nagano 1998, and Olympic bronze twice, in Vancouver 2010 and Sotsji 2014. Additionally, Bob was a five-time world champion in the 10,000 meters and a two-time world champion in the 5,000 meters. With awards such as the Ard Schenk Award and the Oscar Mathisen Trophy, his track record is impressive.
In 2016, at the age of 39, Bob retired from competition. Shortly after, he received the Oeuvre Award from the KNSB, the Royal Dutch Skating Federation, for his significant contributions to the sport of skating. A few years later, in September 2023, in his forties, Bob decided to take on a new challenge: pursuing a Master’s degree in Sports Management at Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam. As he mentioned in De Telegraaf, the newspaper that awarded him a scholarship for this course: “I am the oldest of my international class and I have more experience in top-level sport than my classmates. But on the other hand, they have more experience in studying and I can learn from them. I’ve done a lot of thinking and I’m looking forward to learning about the business side of high-level sport.”
This new step demonstrates the versatility and perseverance of Bob de Jong, who, after succeeding on the ice rink, wants to continue learning outside of it.
The group of students was very heterogeneous and you were one of the older ones. Were you able to learn from the others?
I learned a lot from them, even many things that may seem small. For example, my classmates were very proficient with Word, Drive, and PowerPoint. And Kate, who came from the United States and was in my group for the Master’s Final Plan, helped me with the English of the texts.
“I enjoy taking on the role of coach. I like to take people separately and ask them for their opinion, as I think it’s a way of empowering them. It makes them stronger”
Many times, it was the other way around. I enjoy taking on the role of coach. I like to take people separately and ask them for their opinion, as I think it’s a way of empowering them. It makes them stronger. In sports it works the same way, empowering athletes. I also think the study trip to Barcelona had a lot to do with it. It offered a space and time to get away from the everyday environment and discuss tasks with each other, discovering where each other’s strengths lay. Collaboration is the strength of the team, so after the trip, we were able to combine each other’s strengths well during the entire academic year.
How do you remember your learning experience at Johan Cruyff Institute?
It was a whole new environment for me to go back to studying, especially at this level. I also found it hard to get used to the fact that the Master’s program was in English. I get by in everyday life, but writing in English was difficult for me. Other than that, the truth is that it went very well. I am curious by nature, so I always looked forward to the presentations of the Master’s participants, and I didn’t miss a single session. I didn’t panic about deadlines either. Of course, I ran out of “I have to train” excuses, but I didn’t need to. In elite sport, you are used to planning to have everything ready in time. If you need more time, you can always discuss it. In academia, it worked the same way. You receive an assignment, you figure out the deadlines and get to work, whether it’s a written paper or a presentation.
“In elite sport, you are used to planning to have everything ready in time. In academia, it worked the same way, you receive an assignment, you figure out the deadlines and get to work, just like in sports”
Why did you decide to do the master’s degree?
It was proposed to me in 2012, but at the time, I was working on the renovation of the Thialf ice rink stadium. In hindsight, it wasn’t the best time, as I soon resumed my career. For the next four years, I balanced my sports career with working 20 hours a week. Even when I was in Korea, the idea of pursuing a master’s degree was still on my mind. I always found it intriguing and felt it would be a good way to transition from my sports career to learning about the business side of the sport. I’ve consistently trained abroad, maintained a high level of organization, and wanted to continue in that direction with the master’s degree.
Do you have plans for the future with your academic training?
Thanks to the Master’s Final Plan, I got in touch with the municipality of Leeuwarden and will start working at BV Sport in Leeuwarden from September. The municipality wants to implement the Athletic Skills Model (ASM) in ‘Nieuw Oud Oost’, a new residential area of Leeuwarden. The playing field will be located where SC Cambuur has its stadium currently, and the stands will be converted into housing. The area around the old stadium will also be renovated, with new housing and courts for playing soccer. We don’t know exactly how we’re going to execute it yet, but it’s a challenging environment with lots of possibilities. I’m ready to get to work.
Graduation 2024 with Bob de Jong in the back row on the left.
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