ISU Honorary President Jan Dijkema (2016-2022) presented with the Olympic Order award by IOC President Thomas Bach in Lausanne, Switzerland. @IOC/Greg Martin
The International Skating Union (ISU) is honored to announce that ISU Honorary President Jan Dijkema (2016-2022) was presented today with the Olympic Order – the highest distinction in the Olympic Movement – by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. Coinciding with the Olympic Day celebration that takes place annually on June 23, the award ceremony was held at the Olympic House in Lausanne (SUI).
Presenting him with the Order, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “When you took over the ISU presidency, you knew that you had big skates to fill. But just like the athletes, you rose to the challenge. The strong foundation and Olympic success that you inherited at the ISU did not make you complacent. On the contrary. Under your leadership you kept modernising the ISU and developing your sport. You put skating on a path for the future with a steady hand, with vision and determination, you made the great sport of skating fit for the future. And this is something that you can be very proud of, especially in this challenging landscape.” Concluding the presentation, President Bach explained: “It is my special privilege today, to honour your dedication to sport and the values it stands for”.
ISU Honorary President Jan Dijkema (2016-2022) presented with the Olympic Order award by IOC President Thomas Bach in Lausanne, Switzerland. @IOC/Greg Martin
Dijkema’s extensive career of nearly 30 years at the ISU, including his presidential role that culminated from 2016 to 2022, has been recognized as an outstanding contribution not only to the development of all ice skating sports, but also to the positive outreach of the Olympic Movement at large.
Jan Dijkema, ISU Honorary President @Martin de Jong
Dijkema expresses his immense gratitude of being the recipient of an Olympic Order award: “It is really a great honor for me to receive the Olympic Order today. This award is the ultimate appreciation of what has been achieved at the ISU in the past years: we strengthened the global status of ice skating sports. This was key in delivering the successful Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games with skaters from more diverse countries on the podium in all ISU disciplines, and the widest spread of medals among nations ever in Speed Skating. The ISU has now more than 100 Member federations and it is good to see that my legacy, the ISU Centers of Excellence, is working well for the further development of the sport worldwide. I am also grateful that I could lead the ISU to a strong and future-proof International Federation based on good governance. I feel honored and privileged to have served the ISU since 1994. Together with everyone involved, I was able to put the spotlight on the sport and athletes, sharing unforgettable sporting moments with the world.”
ISU World Allround Speed Skating Champions Patrick Roest (NED) and Martina Sáblíková (CZE) pose for a photo with ISU Honorary president Jan Dijkema at the Olympic Oval on March 3, 2019 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. @ISU
Joining the ISU in 1994 as an ISU Council member, Dijkema experienced first-hand the evolution of the federation during 16 years before being elected ISU Vice-President for the Speed Skating Branch in 2010. Coming up with a solid program and vision for the future of the ISU (read 2016 manifesto here), Dijkema was then elected President in 2016 becoming the third Dutchman to head the ISU. He was reelected in 2018 for an additional four-year term (read 2018 manifesto here).
Leading the federation’s events and projects with a great determination and humility, Dijkema achieved to grow all ice skating disciplines and built a strong foundation of good governance and innovation leaving a lasting imprint for the next generation. In particular, some examples of accomplishments attained under his presidency include:
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Development: In view of developing talented skaters and coaches worldwide and increasing the number of countries able to compete at ISU Events and at the Olympic Winter Games, he launched the ISU Centers of Excellence (CoE). As of today, there are 11 CoEs in the world that serve as skating development hubs, including one in Beijing at the Olympic Oval. Dijkema was strongly committed to creating a legacy for Beijing 2022. Furthermore, under his leadership, the ISU eLearning platform was created, and many development projects were established to support both active and retired skaters, as well as to educate Coaches and Officials.
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Marketing & promotion: Dijkema concluded long-term media and advertising agreements that are crucial for the ISU for the years to come. Throughout his presidency, the ISU focused on growing its global fanbase by launching new types of events, such as the ISU Skating Awards, as well as creating and distributing more content than ever before on the multiple ISU digital channels.
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Good Governance: Dijkema was an advocate for fostering ISU’s good reputation, credibility and integrity. He encouraged initiatives such as developing the ISU Athlete Safeguarding Policy, introduced the Athletes Commission and strengthened the high-profile ISU Anti-Doping Program.
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ISU Events: Dijkema stimulated innovations in the format and organization of ISU Events in all disciplines. For example, he contributed significantly to the success of making the Mass Start in Speed Skating and the Short Track Mixed Relay as new Olympic events.
During his farewell speech held on June 6th 2022 at the 58th ISU Ordinary Congress, Dijkema presented in more details these major milestones, which can be read in his end-of-term message here.
In parallel to his duties at the ISU, Dijkema was actively involved in the Foundation Board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from 2018 to 2022, while serving as a representative at the IOC, namely as a Member of the Coordination Commission from 2019 to 2022 for Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games and by participating at the Olympic Summit (2017-2022). He also served several times as ISU Technical Delegate for the Olympic Winter Games.
Jan Dijkema, ISU Honorary President, presenting medals during the Short Track Speed Skating Women's 1000m medal ceremony at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. © Getty Images
Holder of a Master’s degree in sociology from the University Groningen in his native Netherlands, Dijkema also had a long professional experience in the fields of politics working for Dutch and international governmental authorities. These positions manly focused on economic, labor affairs and business innovation, including Deputy Commissioner of the Dutch Queen (Province of Overijssel) and Advisor to the Minister of State Economic Affairs.
In his free time, Dijkema continues to connect with his dear ice skating passion by gliding with his skates on naturally frozen ice, like in Norway for example.
Read more about Jan Dijkema’s career and achievements as ISU President here.
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