Camiel Eurlings, a former transport minister and the current chief executive of Dutch flag carrier KLM, has been nominated to succeed king Willem-Alexander as the Dutch representative on the International Olympic Committee.

Eurlings chaired Dutch efforts to attract the 2028 Olympics to the Netherlands which were abandoned by the new government last year.

Other potential replacements for the king were tennis player Richard Krajicek and gold medal-winning swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband.

Willem-Alexander, a keen sports fan, was forced to step down from the job when he became king in April.

Eurlings, seen by many as a future leader of the Christian Democrats, left politics in 2010 saying he wanted to spend more time with his partner and to start a family.