Cabinet has bad news for ailing skating temple Thialf | To skate

sport">Outgoing State Secretary Paul Blokhuis answers the House that the aid is in violation of European rules.

sport">The House of Representatives wanted the outgoing cabinet to make a one-off release of 1 million euros for Thialf, who has been experiencing financial problems for some time. “As soon as the government makes a direct contribution to the replacement investments for Thialf, there is in principle unauthorized state aid,” writes Blokhuis, who sees major obstacles in the implementation of the proposal.

sport">The State Secretary says he wants to investigate whether something can be done in another way so that athletes who are preparing for the Beijing Olympics can continue to train in Thialf in the coming months. To this end, various options are being explored with the sports umbrella organization NOC*NSF.

—