More than 60 students and alumni of Johan Cruyff Institute, the Johan Cruyff University and the Johan Cruyff College will compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro starting tomorrow
The wait is over. The Olympic Games, the event par excellence in world sport, will begin in Rio de Janeiro tomorrow, after on October 2, 2009, the International Olympic Committee officially announced that the 31st Olympiad was to be held in this Brazilian city, and for the first time ever in South America.
Student-athletes from Johan Cruyff Institute academic network, with five Johan Cruyff Colleges, three Johan Cruyff Universities and five Johan Cruyff Institutes are temporarily leaving their classrooms to focus all their attention on the highest competition. Of all the athletes who will come together at the venues and the Olympic Village, 60 of them will have, as well as their dreams of being in the fight for medals, something else in common: they are members of the “Cruyff family”.
Of the 61 athletes, a total of 39 will compete in the Olympic Games and 22 in the Paralympics; 33 are men and 28 women. As for sports, we are represented in 16 disciplines. Johan Cruyff Institute’s participation at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games has grown considerably, given that four years ago there were 29 students who packed their bags for London 2012. Fifteen of them returned with medals: 3 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze.
Esther Vergeer and other athletes of the Cruyff Network who participated at London 2012
Olympic participants of the academic Cruyff Network
Archery: Mitch Dielemans, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen
Athletics: Giovanni Codrington (relay), alumnus Johan Cruyff College Groningen, Madiea Ghafoor (relay), alumnus Johan Cruyff College Amsterdam and student Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam, Nicky van Leuveren (relay), alumnus Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam, Pieter Braun (decathlon), alumnus Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam and Raquel Gonzalez Campos (20k race walk), alumnus Johan Cruyff Institute Barcelona
BMX: Laura Smulders and Niek Kimmann, alumni Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam, Merle van Benthem, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen
Cycling (track): Jeffrey Hoogland, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Enschede, Nils van ’t Hoenderdaal, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen and Tim Veldt, alumnus Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam
Cycling (road): Wout Poels, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen
Field Hockey: Lidewij Welten, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen, Maria Verschoor, student Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam, Alyson Annan (coach), alumnus Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam, Billy Bakker, Mirco Pruyser, Glenn Schuurman, Jaap Stockmann and Alexander Cox (assistant coach), alumni Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam, Jorrit Croon, student Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam, Robbert Kemperman, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen and Valentin Verga, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Amsterdam, Julia Müller (Germany), alumnus Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam en David Alegre (Spain), alumnus Johan Cruyff Institute Barcelona
Gymnastics: Vera van Pol, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Amsterdam and Sherine El Zeiny (Egypte), student Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam
Handball: Michelle Goos, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Amsterdam and Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam, Angela Malestein, Jessy Kramer, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen / Amsterdam, Isabelle Jongenelen, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen and Henk Groener (coach), professor Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam
Mountainbike: Jens Schuermans (Belgium), student Johan Cruyff University Tilburg
Rowing: Mechiel Versluis, alumnus Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam
Volleyball: Celeste Plak, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen, Myrthe Schoot, student Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam and Robin de Kruijf, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Amsterdam
Paralympic participants of the academic Cruyff Network
Athletics: Lara Baars (kogelstoten), student Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen and Marlou van Rhijn (100m en 200m), student Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam
CP Football: Iljas Visker, Lars Conijn and Rik Rodenburg, alumni Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen, Kasper Stroes, student Johan Cruyff University Tilburg and alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen / Groningen and Stefan Boersma, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen en Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam
Cycling: Patrick Bos (pilot tandem with Stephen de Vries), alumnus Johan Cruyff College Amsterdam
Swimming: Lisa den Braber, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Amsterdam, Manon Vermariën, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Roosendaal, Marije Oosterhuis, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Groningen, Simon Boer, student Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam and David Levecq (Spanje), alumnus Johan Cruyff Institute Barcelona
Table Tennis: Kelly van Zon, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen
Wheelchair Basketball: Inge Huitzing, Jitske Visser and Paul Toes, alumni Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam, Irene Sloof (coach) and Toine Klerks (teammanager), alumni Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam and Mustafa Jebari (coach), alumnus Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam en Johan Cruyff Institute Amsterdam
Wheelchair Tennis: Jiske Griffioen, alumnus Johan Cruyff University Amsterdam and Tom Egberink, alumnus Johan Cruyff College Nijmegen
We wish you all lots of strength and all the luck in the world. We will be cheering you!
