Hans Sleeswijk

While still a student, Hans Sleeswijk qualified as a reserve for the 1956 Dutch Olympic sailing team in the Finn class. The Dutch team ultimately boycotted the Melbourne Games after the Soviet response to the Hungarian uprising. Sleeswijk was a consistent performer in the following years, placing 11th (1958), 6th (59) and 6th (60) in the World Championships, and 7th (1957) and 5th (1960) in the Europeans, the latter just a few months prior to the Olympics. The Dutch sailing federation, however, favored Koos de Jong as their entrant for Rome 1960, as he was the 1959 European Champion. De Jong was reluctant to enter, however, and ultimately withdrew, giving Sleeswijk the spot just weeks before the Olympics.

After his sailing adventures, Sleeswijk switched to entertainment. His father, René Sleeswijk had been a producer for radio, television and theatre since the 1930s. He ran a production company, De Sleeswijk Organisatie, and was known for his revues and comedy productions. Hans joined his fathers company and together they worked on many productions. Hans’ brother, René Jr., who went by the stage name of René van Vooren, was also involved as a performer in the comedy duo “De Mounties”, featuring in many theatre and television performances. René Sr. died in 1978, but Hans continued the work, primarily producing comedy - plays, TV series and (TV) movies.