| Assocname: | Royal Netherlands Watersport Association |
| Countryflag: | Netherlands |
| Iocnation: | Netherlands (NED) |
| Url: | www.watersportverbond.nl |
| Sport: | Sailing |
| Othersport1: | Surfing |
| Othersport2: | Canoeing |
| Historytitle: | HISTORY |
| Precedingorganisationsname: | Royal Netherlands Yachting Union |
| Yearfounded: | 1890 |
| Demographicstitle: | DEMOGRAPHICS |
| Affliationstitle: | AFFILIATIONS |
| Ifed: | World Sailing |
| Ifabbrev: | WS |
| Ifurl: | http://www.sailing.org/about/members/mnas/netherlands.php |
| Ifyearjoined: | 1907 Founding Member |
| Nationalolympiccom: | Dutch Olympic Committee |
| Nationalparalympiccom: | Dutch Paralympic Committee |
| Electedtitle: | ELECTED |
| President: | Ernst Jan Broer |
| Sectitle: | SECRETARIAT |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Secretarygeneral: | Arno van Gerven |
| Financetitle: | FINANCE |
| Companystatus: | Association |
The Royal Netherlands Watersport Association (Dutch; Flemish: Koninklijk Nederlands Watersport Verbond) is the national governing body for the sports of sailing, surfing, and canoeing in the Netherlands, recognised by World Sailing, the global governing body for the sport of sailing.[1]
The organization was founded in 1890 as Koninlijk Verbond Nederlandsche Watersport Verenigingen.
The Dutch were in most of the Olympic sailing competitions represented by the Dutch Olympic Sailing Team, including the years: 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956 (Boycott), 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980 (Under IOC flag), 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012.
The selection of the members of the team was done by the KNWV or its predecessor. Except for 1908 and 1912, there were always Dutch sailors willing to compete at this pinnacle of competitive sailing. Even in 1956 in Melbourne the Dutch team was willing and able to perform. However, at the last possible moment the Dutch NOC and the Dutch government (together with Switzerland and Spain), ordered a boycott of these games. This boycott was a result of the presence in Hungary of the Soviet Union after the Hungarian Revolution. The KNWV was not in favor of this boycott.[2]