2. EVENTS

2006-2008 HEADCOACH

During his time as head coach of the Dutch women’s sitting volleyball team, John was dissatisfied with the involvement and organisation of the training program by the Dutch Volleyball Federation. It became clear that beach volleyball and indoor volleyball held a much higher priority for the federation than sitting volleyball. Many meetings failed to bring any improvements, so the training program became a struggle for the team.

The Dutch Volleyball Federation presented him with two options, but John chose a third. Instead of (1) stepping down as head coach or (2) accepting the current situation with no additional training opportunities and remaining disappointed, John (3) took matters into his own hands and initiated solutions for the team.

Together with local volleyball clubs and not-for-profit organisations, John organised training camps with other national women’s teams in the Netherlands. Over a period of 16 months, teams from Germany, Slovenia, and Ukraine visited the Netherlands. Despite having no budget, solutions were found. John used his national team as a return on investment for the volleyball clubs by providing volleyball training to youth and senior teams, as well as delivering presentations to local volleyball coaches. This was highly appreciated and helped foster positive engagement with sitting volleyball.

2009 RWANDA

In cooperation with the former president of the World Organisation for Sitting Volleyball (WOVD), John travelled to Kigali-Rwanda, to act as an advisor during the first International Cup in Africa. Prior to the tournament, John conducted a referee course and shared his experience with new sitting volleyball referees from various countries. During the first two days, it was “all hands on deck” to guide and explain to the local organisers what needed to be done. After the tournament, John was praised for his calm style of advising, his patience, and his clear way of explaining.

2010 VANCOUVER

To promote the foundation Sport Compass, John organised a trip to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Accompanied by five students studying sport business and sport management, the goal was to promote the new foundation, Sport Compass, through visual and impressive projects to a wider audience.

Extra: During his stay in Vancouver, John received a phone call from the president of the Uganda Paralympic Committee, informing him that their sponsor was unwilling to cover transport costs for one of the teams to participate in an international tournament. The team of students in Vancouver managed to raise the required funds within 24 hours.

2010 ROTTERDAM

To promote his foundation Sport Compass, John was involved with marathon runner Richard Whitehead during his marathon race in Rotterdam. John had met Richard during sitting volleyball matches in 2009 in England and invited him to become an active ambassador for the foundation. John managed the communication and promotion with the media regarding Whitehead’s marathon race in Rotterdam. On national TV and in many national newspapers, Richard Whitehead and the foundation Sport Compass received significant attention. It was an impressive race, with many people enthusiastic about seeing Richard run, especially as Whitehead set a new world record for a person with a leg amputation, finishing in 2:45:47.

2010 TALENT DAY

On 6 November 2010, the Foundation Sport Compass celebrated its first year of activity by organising a Paralympic Talent Day to promote Paralympic sports at all levels. In cooperation with Erasmus University Rotterdam, a total of 13 organisations and sports participated. Together with Sport Compass ambassador and Olympic gold medallist Danielle de Bruin, the event was a fantastic success. People of all ages tried various sports, experiencing fun and a renewed sense of self-confidence. The most memorable moment for John was a heartfelt thank you from a tearful mother, who expressed her gratitude for the event and was overjoyed to see her 9-year-old daughter laughing again after a long period of worry.

2010 HUNGARY

At the end of November, John travelled to Budapest where he introduced sitting volleyball to several schools and attended training sessions of the national women’s sitting volleyball team. He also gave presentations to various Rotary organisations and helped secure sponsorships for the national sitting volleyball teams.

2011 ROTTERDAM

On a Tuesday, John received a phone call from a friend in Dallas-USA, asking if he was in the Netherlands and if he could assist a friend who was with the USA Para Table Tennis team in Rotterdam. John was indeed in Rotterdam, and the following day he spoke with the head coaches, learning about the poor support from the professional organisers during the World Table Tennis Championships. Issues included inadequate transport, poor training facilities, food problems, and more. They asked if John could help.

That same day, John arranged a minibus for the entire duration of the team’s stay in the Netherlands. He made himself available as a driver for various players and coaches and secured a training venue in a school offering sport business and sport management courses. The USA players trained there, and students were involved, gaining valuable insight into Paralympic table tennis. John effectively became the team manager of the USA Para Table Tennis team.

During this period, John found solutions to numerous challenges faced by the team and gained a deeper understanding of how the local organisers of the event operated.

A year later, the head coach contacted John to see if he could assist the USA team again in Slovenia, but John was in Africa working with the Foundation Sport Compass at that time.

2011 GUADALAJARA

In November 2011, John visited the Para Pan Am Games in Mexico. He organised a trip to the event for some sport business and sport management students from the Netherlands. While in Mexico, John attended various Paralympic sports, held meetings with the local organisers, representatives from different national sport federations, coaches, and teams.

2012 USA ACCLIMATISATION CAMP

In 2011, Bestebroer spoke with the American head coach of the women's sitting volleyball team and asked whether it would be possible to organise an acclimatisation camp for the team in preparation for the Paralympic Games in London 2012. This would allow the USA team to adjust to the time difference before flying to London, while also providing an opportunity for the Sport Compass Foundation to promote itself. A programme was developed and approved.

The national sitting volleyball team of Germany was invited to play practice matches, and an All Stars men’s sitting volleyball team from the Netherlands, composed of former sitting volleyball internationals, was formed for additional practice matches. Sitting volleyball demonstrations were also held at the American School in Rotterdam and local schools. The players and staff stayed in the Netherlands for a week and had a great time. The best compliment came at the airport, as the USA team prepared to fly to London, one of the players asked the head coach if it would be possible to return to this place the following year because everything had been organised so well.

A week later, the USA women’s sitting volleyball team played in the final and won a silver medal at the London Paralympic Games.

2012 LONDON Sport Compass House

During the London Paralympic Games, a Sport Compass House was established in a school near one of the Paralympic venues. Students from universities across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany were invited to attend presentations by speakers from various Paralympic sports and sports organisations.

Training sessions were also delivered by the American sitting volleyball team. Several national Paralympic committees visited the Sport Compass House, and a networking event was organised, which proved to be very successful.

2012 LONDON Meetings

During the Paralympic Games in London, John Bestebroer spoke with different National Paralympic committees about how to introduce and promote different Paralympic sports. Some time the focus was on people with a disability and sometime the focus was on the sport. In London John was also having a meeting with the Tokyo 2020 organization. At the request of the Tokyo 2020 organization, for more meetings were arranged where John Bestebroer shared his experiences from his participation as a coach during the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

2013-2014 BUCHAREST

At the end of 2012, John Bestebroer made his first trip to Romania. A meeting with the volleyball professor at the University of Sport in Bucharest opened many opportunities to introduce sitting volleyball in the country. After two visits to Bucharest, John decided to relocate to Romania to lead the sitting volleyball project.

From April 2013 until July 2014, a dedicated group of students supported the project, helping to raise awareness of sitting volleyball. An office was established, equipped with computers, and several road trips were organised around Romania to promote the sport. In a short time, the sitting volleyball project group achieved success, with multiple teams beginning regular training sessions.

As John was the only member with international sitting volleyball experience and contacts, a group of students accompanied him to the 2014 World Sitting Volleyball Championship in Elbląg, Poland. At the event, officials from World ParaVolley expressed their intention to visit Romania and provide stronger support for the project group.

In July 2014, John stepped down as leader and advisor of the project group and ceased providing financial support, making way for World Paravolley to take over and support sitting volleyball in Romania.

However, in November 2014, the Romanian sitting volleyball project group informed John that they were discontinuing the project due to the promised support from World Paravolley failing to materialise.

2013-2014 ROMANIA Speedskating

While in Bucharest, John Bestebroer connected with a Dutch company sponsoring Romanian speed skater Marius Paraschivoiu, who was aiming to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. With only four months remaining before the Games, John was asked to support Marius in his attempt to qualify for the Olympic speed skating events, specifically the 500m and 1000m races, which each had a maximum field of 40 skaters.

John dedicated himself to improving Marius’s training programme and resources. He even donated his own race bike to Marius to aid in off-ice conditioning. John arranged for Marius to join the KIA Speed Skating Team, allowing him access to high-quality training facilities and coaching by respected speed skating trainers from the Netherlands and Canada, based in Inzell, Germany.

John also travelled with Marius to Salt Lake City, USA, where Marius needed to meet a minimum qualifying time to secure his place. Marius achieved the required time and thus qualified for the Olympic Winter Games. Unfortunately, despite meeting the qualification standard, other skaters also achieved the time limit, and Marius was ranked 42nd on the reserve list, making him second reserve for the event.

2018 HAMBURG Wheelchair basketball

The World Championship Wheelchair Basketball in 2018 took place in Hamburg, Germany. John Bestebroer attended the event for several days, closely observing the organisation and operations. During his visit, he connected with the communication team and gained insight into how the live streaming of the matches was managed. Experiencing the side events and networking with new contacts made this championship yet another valuable and inspiring experience for John.

2019 RIE MASTENBROEK

John Bestebroer maintained a longstanding personal relationship with Rie Mastenbroek, the Dutch Olympic swimming champion who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Games at just 17 years old. Despite her remarkable achievements, Mastenbroek’s legacy had faded from public memory in The Netherlands, with many unaware of her pioneering contributions to Dutch sport.

Following Mastenbroek’s death in 2003 at the age of 84, John Bestebroer made a heartfelt commitment to preserve and promote her legacy out of deep respect. Over the years, he delivered numerous presentations to students of sport, sharing her story and achievements to inspire new generations.

In 2018, to commemorate what would have been Mastenbroek’s 100th birthday, Bestebroer collaborated with Rotterdamse Sporticonen—a local organisation dedicated to sporting heritage—to organise a commemorative swimming event for children. The event featured former Dutch Olympians from the 1972 and 1976 Games and received strong support from Mastenbroek’s son, Otto. It successfully attracted over 150 children from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing them with a memorable and inspiring experience in the pool. The event garnered significant media attention and helped revive civic pride in Rotterdam’s sporting history. In recognition of her legacy, the city’s prominent swimming facility, known for hosting national and international competitions, was named in honour of Rie Mastenbroek.

Further cementing this legacy, in 2020 a biography titled Vergeten Goud (“Forgotten Gold”), authored by Marian Rijk, was published. John Bestebroer contributed significantly to the book, helping to ensure Mastenbroek’s story reached a wider audience and restored her rightful place in the annals of Dutch sport history.

2019 THE NETHERLANDS Parasport events

In 2019, many national and international Paralympic sport events were organised in the Netherlands. During the year, John Bestebroer visited various sporting events such as Para table tennis, Wheelchair Rugby, Para Archery, Wheelchair Basketball, Para Rowing, Para Ice Hockey, Sitting Volleyball, and Para Athletics. Watching parasport live in action, John also met coaches, athletes, and officials from different sports. Besides sport-related contacts, he was also in contact with some of the organisers of these events.

F1 Holland House

Since 1992, the Holland Heineken House has emerged during the Olympic Games, and at every edition since then, it has become a place where the Dutch like to come together and celebrate sporting results. From 2017, John was asking why there was no Holland House for the Dutch community during the major sporting events in Melbourne. Everyone was enthusiastic, but no one took the initiative.

Since 2023, John took the initiative and started organising the Holland House during the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend. A place, located within a short walking distance from Albert Park race track, where the Dutch community could enjoy the Grand Prix weekend together from early morning until late at night. People were very positive about this F1 Holland House event.

In 2024 and 2025, there was again a Holland House during the Grand Prix weekend where people could meet. In 2025, John Bestebroer also organised a business day on Friday, where business people could meet each other. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce Australia (NCCA) attended with their members, and the Dutch Ambassador to Australia was also present.
Once again, it became a success, and people are already looking forward to the next edition in 2026.

Sinterklaas in Melbourne

Sinterklaas is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. The feast of Sinterklaas is celebrated with the giving of gifts on St Nicholas’ Eve (5th December) in the Netherlands. Once a year, around 5 December, a Sinterklaas event is organised, and John Bestebroer is involved as one of the organisers. About 120 children attended the last edition.