[2] 15 in athletics, 24 in baseball, 2 in canoeing, 27 in cycling, 8 in equestrian, 2 in fencing, 32 in field hockey, 18 in football, 2 in gymnastics, 10 in judo, 30 in rowing, 12 in sailing, 15 in softball, 21 in swimming, 3 in table tennis, 1 in taekwondo, 2 in triathlon, 6 in volleyball and 13 in water polo.

[3] The NOC*NSF announced a total of eleven athletes as their official ambassadors in the period before, during and after the Olympics in 2008 until the end of that year.

[4] The ambassadors that were chosen were all athletes who had a good chance of qualifying for the Olympics or who had already achieved qualification individually or with their team.

Chefs de Mission were Charles van Commenée (Olympics) and Thea Limbach (Paralympics).

Simon Vroemen, who qualified for the steeplechase event, was tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid dianabol in July 2008.

[14] Head Coach: Roelant Oltmans Reserve: The following is the Dutch roster in the women's field hockey tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

[16][17] The Dutch men's team was first in the European under-21 Championship, claiming their second consecutive title and securing their spot in Beijing.

[24] The next day Mark Huizinga qualified for his fourth consecutive Olympics as he finished in fifth position at the same event in Paris.

[26][27] The first two boats to qualify for the Olympics were the women's 470 of Lobke Berkhout and Marcelien de Koning and the finn of Pieter-Jan Postma.

Berkhout and De Koning were 2007 World champions in their class, and secured their spot by finishing sixth in the pre-Olympic tournament in Qingdao on 22 August 2007.

[28] Postma, who won silver at the 2007 World Championships in the finn class, also qualified during the pre-Olympic tournament by finishing in second place.

[41][42] The Dutch women's team became first at the European qualification tournament in Kirishi by beating the host nation Russia in the final.