Dive in to gay swimming in Amsterdam

Meet Remco Kobus of Gay Swim Amsterdam.

When was the Gay Swim Amsterdam club established?

The club was established in 1995 by Bob van Schijndel.

Is it just a swimming club or do you include other activities?

As well as swimming we also offer our members water polo, diving, open water swimming, and we’re also researching triathlon at the moment.

How many members does Gay Swim Amsterdam have?

We have approximately 100 members in the club and that is growing again this year. Around 15% to 20% are female and the rest are male.

Do members of Gay Swim Amsterdam take part in competitive events?

Yes — the Dutch official swimming organisation is known as KNZB and we take part in their water polo competition and their masters swimming tournaments.

We also take part in LGBT events such as Outgames, Gay Games, Eurogames, and IGLA.

What sort of role does Gay Swim Amsterdam play in its local community?

We are an openly gay sport organisation, taking part in straight competitions, so we are very visible. This means it is very clear that we are gay, and especially in water polo this creates extra tolerance.

We look for communication in press and straight sports magazines as well.

Within the gay community we are visible at canal parades in Amsterdam, in clubs and bars, and we have a hard core of water polo players and swimmers who party a lot at the big parties in town.

What are some of the challenges of running a club like Gay Swim Amsterdam?

Our biggest challenge is keeping enough volunteers to run the organisation and create new activities and social meetings.