Erica Terpstra

About Erica Terpstra

Erica Terpstra is a retired olympic freestyle swimmer from the Netherlands, who won two medals at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo: the bronze medal in the 4×100 metres Freestyle Relay and the silver in the 4×100 metres Medley Relay.

After her swimming career Terpstra became involved in politics. She was a member of parliament for the Popular Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). She studied Chinese and Japanese at the University of Leyden, but never graduated. In 1977, Erica Terpstra was elected a Member of Parliament for the VVD. In 1994, she was appointed State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sports. She became a Member of Parliament again in 1998. She was an MP for 8,321 days!

In October 2003 she was appointed chairwoman of the Dutch Olympic Committee. She is the first female chairperson of an important Dutch sports organisation. She is a member of many commissions, including the International Foundation Olympic Truce. Erica Terpstra is chairwoman of the Monuta Charity Fund.

She has received a number of royal decorations.

Terpstra is an inspiring speaker.