From the next edition, the Amsterdam Sports Gala will take place at RAI Amsterdam. The Sports Gala will be held on Wednesday 22 January 2025, on the eve of the equestrian event Jumping Amsterdam. The new location for the Sports Gala is part of a three-year collaboration between RAI Amsterdam, Jumping Amsterdam, and Topsport Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam Sports Gala is organised annually to reflect on the exceptional sporting achievements of the past year. Frank Thewessem, Director of Topsport Amsterdam, is pleased with the new location for the gala. “Jumping Amsterdam is one of the city’s leading top-level sporting events. Through this collaboration, we can greatly strengthen each other: the gala takes place during a major sports event and at a highly central location. Through this partnership, we can also create a more sustainable operation. And that’s what we want.”
Sport Unites
Irene Verheul, Director of Jumping Amsterdam, is proud to host the gala within the existing facilities of Jumping Amsterdam. “This underlines how broad the platform of Jumping Amsterdam is, and it strengthens our connection to top-level sport in Amsterdam in this way.”
RAI Amsterdam hosts a wide variety of sports events annually, including Jumping Amsterdam, the Hyrox fitness competition, and the World Gymnaestrada in 2023. Since 2014, the final presentation of the Lucia Marthas Institute of Performing Arts, the leading institute for dance and other disciplines, has also taken place at RAI. “Health, nutrition, sport, and exercise are important themes to which RAI Amsterdam is committed every day,” said RAI CEO Paul Riemens. “Sport unites, and it’s fantastic that we are intensifying this collaboration with Topsport Amsterdam. I am very much looking forward to this year’s Sports Gala on the eve of Jumping Amsterdam.”
Honouring Athletes
During the Amsterdam Sports Gala, the coveted Fanny Awards will be presented to the Sportsman, Sportswoman, Team, Talent, and Coach of the Year in Amsterdam. In addition to the award ceremony, the City of Amsterdam will honour its local champions and international medal winners during the Champions Parade.
Two other special awards will be presented: the Paulien van Deutekom Award, given to an athlete who has distinguished themselves not only as a sportsperson but also on a personal level, and the Amsterdam Feather, awarded to a sports provider in Amsterdam who makes a difference by offering sports opportunities for people with disabilities or chronic conditions.
