Despite winning 23 medals at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Netherlands’ long track speed skaters do not know who their sponsors will be next season.

The country’s top skaters are members of different teams but four of the most prominent team sponsors TVM (insurance), BAM (construction) Activia (yoghurt) and Liga (biscuits) are leaving the sport.

‘Skating is a special sport to sponsor because you are only really visible for three months,’ sports economy professor Ruud Koning told Nos television.

Medals

Olympic gold does not always mean it is easy to find a sponsor either. Bob de Jong was left without a sponsor after winning gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, the Nos points out.

In addition, individual sponsors’ names only feature on the clothing of their skaters during domestic events, not internationals, further reducing the impact.

The Dutch skating association KNSB is working at an international level to try and change the rules on sponsorship, a spokesman told Nos. In cycling, for example, individual sponsors are much more visible during international events.