The Dutch know how to throw a party. In 2000 in Sydney, the hottest Olympic ticket was not to the Opening or Closing Ceremonies. It was to Holland House beside Sydney Harbour where the parties were so festive and long that athletes from other countries clamoured to join in and one eventually had to produce a Dutch passport to gain entry into the evening’s Oranje festivities.

This year in Beijing the Dutch are 10th in the medal pool and that is remarkable considering their normal swimming pool strength was trumped by the USA’s Michael Phelps and others. By the end of week one the country was in near mourning until the tide dramatically turned Orange.

When countryman Maarten van der Weijden won an epic battle with Wale’s David Davies in the men’s 10k Open Water event, all was forgiven as the undignified screams of the Dutch colour commentator… “Ongelooflijk!  (Unbelievable) “yee-haaaahhhhhh!!!!!!” and all the hyperbole were well earned. Van der Weijden, a leukaemia survivor, was modest in winning. While he claimed not be Lance Armstrong, the come-from-behind effort against Davies was extraordinary in an Olympics filled with extraordinary sports moments if not diminished by silliness in commentary boxes from around the world.

I have sampled, NBC, BBC, NOS (Dutch), Eurosport (German) and a few others on the satellite and they al suffer from excess. Even the normally staid BBC has had moments of sheer lunacy like the Kayak racing on Radio Five with the commentator screaming and so breathless, I had to check the dial to see if it indeed was the BBC.

The Dutch colour commentator threw down his microphone and raced lakeside to embrace Maarten as he emerged from the water in a giant bear hug after he swept past tiring leader Davies in the last 50 metres of a 6 mile+, two hour long race. That commentator was Peter van den Hoogenband, known less for commentary than winning his own set of gold medals in the pool against all odds in Sydney and Athens. His joy was everyone’s.

When the Dutch women’s water polo team later upset the Number one ranked Team USA 9-8, the nation’s joy was as uncontainable as the women’s team. When the final whistle sounded the coaches, fully clothed, all jumped into the pool to celebrate the unlikely upset victory. During the interview below, famed Dutch sports reporter Jack van Gelder made an unexpected trip into the pool himself courtesy of a deliriously happy group of women.

Each night the day’s winners were interviewed on the NOS Studio Sport Olympic set and a paper Chinese ornament, signed by each medallist, was added to the hanging display of lamps.

During the medal ceremony, of which every second leading upt to during is played on the telly, team Oranje danced and sang to the 2,000 Oranje clad spectators cheering them on.

The Australians were gleeful to be on the podium. The Americans looked at silver as if someone had spit in their hands. The Netherlands were beside themselves with joy and would have been any place on that podium.

I later saw an NBC news clip about Coronado California and how an entire community backed two young US women and the team. For a moment I felt bad for them and then I remembered the lack of class and celebration having been the second best team in the world at these Games was lost. Then that is always the case in America, number 2 is forgotten.

I remember both of van den Hoogeband’s bronze medals in 2000 and like most thought wow, third best in the entire world, how very impressive.

Then John McCain and George Bush still think the US is the world’s leading exporter (number four or worse, well behind Germany and China).

Maybe folks would like us more if there was a bit of grace in defeat and less ridiculous nation baiting in winning. Living abroad, I wonder how much press and airtime the Cuban runner got for winning gold and relegating the two top American runners to silver and bronze. Never mind, I already know the answer.

My country ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land xeno-gra-phy…