He was 'the father of sports'. The first chairman of the Netherlands Olympic Committee and the first Dutch IOC member. He brought the Olympic Games to Amsterdam but didn't live to see them.
The statue, by Gra Rueb, depicts the Olympic salute which has not been used since World War II.
On the left you see the Marathontower (46m). Architect Jan Wils wanted an eye-catcher in front of the stadium. At first there were 4 heralds on top but Wils wanted something else, something better.
Than the game almost were canceled because the christian community thought the games were heathen and the city council stopped all subsidies. Fortunately public fundraising was a succes and the Game could go on.
Wils now placed a big bowl on top of his tower for a pagan fire to nag the christians. A tradition was born by accident.
Fun detail; the fire was lit by an employee of the Amsterdam gas company by throwing a burning match in bowl. The tradition took its course and changed a bit over the years.
