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Sports in Suriname

Olympedia files Suriname as SUR, with swimming gold in 1988 and bronze in 1992; Concacaf calls the Surinaamse Voetbal Bond a founding member; De Nationale Assemblée adopted a nationality amendment for athletes on 8 September 2026.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
Official nameRepubliek Suriname, the form used in the title and Article 1 of the Grondwet (S.B. 1987 no. 116, as amended by S.B. 1992 no. 38), as served by De Nationale Assemblée
NOC codeSUR, as Olympedia files the country; the IOC's own list of codes could not be retrieved
National Olympic CommitteeSurinaams Olympisch Comité (SOC); formed 1956 and recognised by the IOC on 25 May 1959, per Olympedia; the committee’s own site gives 1959 for both
Football federationSurinaamse Voetbal Bond (SVB), founded 1 October 1920 according to its 2025 annual report; described by Concacaf as one of its founding members
Top football divisionSuriname Major League (SML), the professional division linked from the SVB’s site
Olympic medal rows, Olympedia1988: 1 gold; 1992: 1 bronze; both in swimming
Nationality amendment for athletesinitiative amendment to the law of 24 November 1975 on Surinamerschap and Ingezetenschap, adopted by De Nationale Assemblée on 8 September 2026 with 29 votes
Sports statutenone found in De Nationale Assemblée’s registers of texts in force to 2005 and laws after 2005; Grondwet Article 37 names sport among youth rights

What sports are played in Suriname?

The Surinaams Olympisch Comité (SOC) states on its site a figure of “12+” affiliated national federations. Its directory section, “Sports united under the SOC”, describes itself as reflecting “federations publicly known to compete internationally under the Suriname flag”; no entries in it could be retrieved.[3]

Games entries. Starnieuws reported on 3 September 2026: “Suriname zal met veertien sporters, verdeeld over zeven disciplines, deelnemen aan de XIII South American Games in Argentinië.” The seven disciplines it named are atletiek, badminton, boksen, taekwondo, tennis, wielrennen and zwemmen, that is athletics, badminton, boxing, taekwondo, tennis, cycling and swimming.[23]

Federations named in parliament. GFC Nieuws reported on 8 September 2026, on the nationality amendment described below, that “vertegenwoordigers van de Surinaamse Voetbal Bond, de Surinaamse Atletiek Bond, de Surinaamse Zwem Bond en het Surinaams Olympisch Comité werden gehoord”, that is, the football, athletics and swimming federations and the Olympic committee were heard.[16]

Domestic coverage. The domestic sport page of the Surinaamse Televisie Stichting (STVS) carried, besides football, an item of 16 April 2024 on the men's hoofdklasse in basketball.[29] Starnieuws's sport section in September 2026 carried reports on Surinamese players at international draughts tournaments.[30]

What is the most popular spectator sport in Suriname?

No measured ranking of spectator sports in Suriname, and no league attendance figure, was retrieved. The proxies retrieved are broadcaster carriage and a federation's own description of its tournament.

Broadcast rights. Starnieuws reported on 13 May 2026 that the Surinaamse Televisie Stichting (STVS) had been confirmed “als exclusieve licentiehouder en uitzender van het FIFA Wereldkampioenschap 2026 voor Suriname”, citing documents from FIFA and IRIS LATAM Limited.[25] On 27 May 2026 it reported that “Via een sublicentieovereenkomst heeft Telesur de rechten verkregen om het toernooi uit te zenden via ATV en te streamen via TelesurPlus”, and that STVS stated that the sublicences to Telesur and SRS Radio did not change its status as central rights holder.[26] The tournament ended on 19 July 2026.

League carriage. Telesur's page for ATV, which it states is managed by “het staatstelecommunicatiebedrijf Telesur”, lists the Suriname Major League among the sport on its channel 12.2, alongside the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.[27]

A federation's own description. The SVB's 2025 annual report describes its 17th Lidbondentoernooi as “het grootste landelijke voetbaltoernooi in Suriname met 32 deelnemende verenigingen”, the largest national football tournament in Suriname, with 32 participating clubs; that is the federation's own description.[8] These are different measures and not a ranking.

How is sport organised in Suriname?

The name and the Constitution. De Nationale Assemblée serves the Grondwet as “GRONDWET VAN DE REPUBLIEK SURINAME (S.B. 1987 no.116), gelijk zij luidt na de daarin aangebrachte wijziging bij S.B. 1992 no.38.” Article 1(1) reads: “De Republiek Suriname is een democratische Staat gebaseerd op de souvereiniteit van het volk en op eerbiediging en waarborging van fundamentele rechten en vrijheden.”[19]

Legislation. No sports act, sports-council act or national sports instrument was found in De Nationale Assemblée's two legislation registers, the list of texts in force up to 2005 and the list of laws after 2005, searched for sport, Olympisch, lichamelijke opvoeding and doping.[18][17] The Grondwet mentions sport once, in Article 37, quoted under school sport below.[19]

The ministry. The government portal's list of ministries, as retrieved on 26 September 2026, carries both a Ministerie van Jeugdontwikkeling en Sport and a Ministerie van Regionale Ontwikkeling en Sport; neither page publishes a mandate text.[20]

The Olympic committee. Olympedia states: “The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Suriname was formed in 1956, but as only the national football federation was affiliated with the NOC, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) rejected recognition.” It continues: “After more federations became affiliated recognition by the IOC followed on 25 May 1959 at the IOC Session in München.”[1] Olympedia's organisation page gives “Founded: 1956” and “Recognized by the IOC: 1959”.[2] The committee's own site gives “1959” as “Founded & IOC-recognised” and states that Ramon Tjon-A-Fat “is elected President in 2017 and re-elected in 2021”.[3] The founding dates are given as each source prints them, and neither is adopted. Panam Sports' page for the committee names Ramon Tjon-A-Fat as president and Dennis Mac Donald as secretary general, at the Olympic Center on Letitia Vriesdelaan, Paramaribo.[4] ANOC's directory of National Olympic Committees records both as re-elected on 24 September 2021.[5] Starnieuws's report of 3 September 2026 names Ramon Tjon-A-Fat as SOC-voorzitter.[23]

Football. The SVB's 2025 annual report states: “De Vereniging is opgericht op 1 oktober 1920 en is gevestigd te Paramaribo.”[8] Its statutes, adopted by an extraordinary general meeting on 29 November 2024, state in Article 1B that “De SVB is een vereniging, opgericht volgens de Surinaamse wetgeving voor onbepaalde tijd”.[9] Concacaf's page for the association states: “One of the founding members of Concacaf, the Surinamese Football Association has a long history, but after struggles in recent years, it is once again working to place itself among the region's elite.”[12] FIFA's association page lists the confederation as CONCACAF and gives no affiliation year.[11] The Caribbean Football Union's list of member associations includes Suriname.[13] The SVB's report records that John Krishnadath was elected one of four vice-presidents of the CFU at its 48th congress in Saint Lucia on 16 March 2025.[8] The SVB's board page lists Dayasanker Mathoera as chairman, “2025 – heden”.[7]

Eligibility. Concacaf's page states, of the 2021 Gold Cup squad: “A legal change in the country allowed even more players to be able to represent the national team”.[12] De Nationale Assemblée records an initiative bill by Ebu Jones, Steven Reyme, Jeffrey Lau and Edgar Sampie amending the Wet tot regeling van het Surinamerschap en het Ingezetenschap (G.B. 1975 no. 171, as last amended by S.B. 2014 no. 121), submitted on 19 August 2026 and adopted on 8 September 2026 by “algemene 29 stemmen”. Its page states: “Het doel van dit initiatiefvoorstel is het invoeren van een nationaliteitsregeling waardoor topsporters van Surinaamse origine de Surinaamse nationaliteit van rechtswege kunnen verkrijgen, zonder afstand te doen van hun andere nationaliteit, zodat zij Suriname kunnen vertegenwoordigen internationale sporttoernooien.”[15] Starnieuws reported on 7 September 2026 that the initiators had extended the proposal to persons with extraordinary merit in science or sport.[31] De West reported on 8 September 2026 that the provision on scientific achievement was struck during the debate and that the adopted text is limited to athletes whose national federation is affiliated with the SOC. It reported that the designation of an athlete lies with the President, on the nomination of the minister responsible for sport, and that “Het Surinamerschap ontstaat automatisch op de dag waarop de president het besluit neemt.”[32] No publication of the amendment in the Staatsblad was retrieved, and FIFA's eligibility rules were not retrieved.

What are the main domestic leagues and competitions?

Professional football. The SVB's site links its “Prof Divisie” to sml.sr, whose page is titled “SML — Suriname Major League”.[6][10] Article 69 of the SVB statutes lists the official competitions the federation organises and co-ordinates, beginning “a: een divisie voor professioneel voetbal; b: amateur competities voor mannen en vrouwen”, and continuing with youth, futsal and beach football competitions.[9]

The Suriname Herald reported on 25 September 2026 that the SML had announced the promotion of Coronie Boys, champion of the SVB's Eerste Divisie, after an appeal against the licensing committee's refusal, for the new season that it said would start in a few weeks. It listed the other SML clubs as Inter Moengotapoe, Notch, Transvaal, Robinhood, Broki, Voorwaarts, Inter Wanica, Flora, PVV and Leo Victor, and reported that the number of SML clubs rose to eleven.[28] That figure is the newspaper's.

Amateur and regional football. The SVB's site lists an Eerste Divisie, a women's competition and a youth competition beside the professional division.[6] Its 2025 report records the 17th Lidbondentoernooi, the tournament of its regional member associations, with 32 participating clubs.[8]

Regional club competition. Starnieuws reported in August and September 2026 on Broki's matches in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, and on 2 September that Broki had been eliminated after a goalless draw.[30]

How has Suriname performed at the Olympic Games?

All figures here are Olympedia's, from its participation, Medals by Games and Medals by sport tables for the code SUR, read as rows. Olympedia prints no totals row under the Medals by Games table.[1]

Editions. Olympedia's participation table lists Suriname, as “Suriname”, at every Summer Games from 1968 to 2024 except 1980, and at no Winter Games. It lists no 1906 row and no art-competition row. Its narrative states that “Suriname has competed at 13 Olympic Games since its début in 1968, missing only the 1980 Moskva Olympics”; the table also carries the 2024 row, and this page uses the table. The narrative adds that in 1960 Suriname sent one athlete, Wim Esajas, who did not start; the participation table has no 1960 row. Nothing filed under another code is included here.[1]

Medal rows. In gold, silver and bronze: 1988, 1, 0, 0; 1992, 0, 0, 1. The Medals by sport table carries one Olympic Games row, swimming, 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze. Olympedia's narrative names Anthony Nesty as the winner of the 100 metre butterfly in 1988 and bronze medallist in the same event in 1992.[1]

Youth Olympic Games. Youth Olympic Games rows are typed separately. Olympedia's tables carry Youth Olympic Games participation rows for 2010, 2014 and 2018, and a 2014 medal row of one gold in athletics, which are not included above.[1]

Which athletes and teams are internationally recognised?

Olympic results. Olympedia's narrative names Anthony Nesty as gold medallist in the 100 metre butterfly at the 1988 Olympic Games and bronze medallist in the same event in 1992.[1]

Men's football. Concacaf's page records that the national team took part in the Concacaf Championship in 1977 and 1985 and that “A 2-1 victory over Guadeloupe in Houston in July 2021 will go down as an historic result, the first-ever win for Suriname at the Gold Cup”.[12] The SVB's 2025 report states that Suriname “zich voor het eerst sinds 1977 opnieuw plaatste voor de finaleronde van de WK-kwalificatie”, reaching the final round of World Cup qualifying for the first time since 1977, and that at the 2025 Gold Cup “wij niet verder kwamen dan de algemene ronde”, the team did not progress beyond the group stage.[8] Concacaf reported on 26 March 2026 that Suriname lost 2-1 to Bolivia in the semi-final of Path B of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament at Monterrey Stadium, Mexico, after “finishing second place in Group A during the Final Round of Concacaf Qualifiers”.[14]

Starnieuws reported on 26 September 2026 a 3-2 win for Suriname over Honduras at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa, in group B of League A of the Concacaf Nations League, the first official match under Henk Fraser as national coach.[24]

Badminton. Badminton Pan Am's report of the XVI Suriname International in November 2025 lists Surinamese players among the bronze medallists and a Surinamese pair as the beaten finalists in mixed doubles.[22]

What major international competitions has Suriname hosted?

Badminton. Badminton Pan Am reported on 18 November 2025 on the “XVI Suriname International 2025, Pan Am Circuit event held in Paramaribo”, from 12 to 16 November 2025, with podium finishers from Argentina, Barbados, El Salvador, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname.[22]

Football. The SVB's 2025 report records the use of the Franklin Essed Stadion for a course and of the André Kamperveen Stadion for the athletics part of the school sport tournament.[8] No record from FIFA, Concacaf or the CFU of a senior tournament staged in Suriname was retrieved.

Korfball. The International Korfball Federation's event page lists the IKF Pan-American Korfball Championship 2026 in Paramaribo, organised by the Suriname Korfball Federation and scheduled for 8 to 10 October, with the note: “The exact days are still not fully confirmed.”[33]

Games attended, not hosted. Starnieuws reported that the XIII South American Games were to be held in Santa Fe, Rosario and Rafaela, Argentina, from 12 to 26 September 2026, with a Surinamese team of fourteen athletes; the Games were in their final day on 26 September 2026.[23]

What are Suriname's main sporting rivalries?

Guyana, football. The counts that follow come from a single secondary statistics site, not from either federation's own record. 11v11 publishes Suriname's men's record against Guyana as “Games won: 17 | Games drawn: 6 | Games lost: 6”, and prints no total of matches played. Its earliest entry, listed under the FIFA World Cup, is of 4 July 1976, and its latest is a 5-1 Surinamese win in the Concacaf Nations League on 15 October 2024.[21] That is the Surinamese side of the record as 11v11 prints it.

Both associations appear on the Caribbean Football Union's list of member associations.[13] No head-to-head record published by the SVB was retrieved.

What is the role of school and university sport?

The Constitution. Article 37(1) of the Grondwet reads: “Jeugdigen genieten bijzondere bescherming voor het genot van economische, sociale en culturele rechten, waaronder begrepen: a. toegang tot onderwijs, cultuur en werk; b. beroepsscholing; c. fysieke scholing, sport en vrijetijdsbesteding.” Article 37(2) states that the principal aim of youth policy is the development of the young person's personality and sense of service to the community.[19]

School sport. The SVB's 2025 report records: “Het Andre Kamperveen Stadion werd in de periode 15 t/m 23 februari en 6 mei aan de afdeling Bewegingsonderwijs en Schoolsport, een ‘subafdeling’ van het Bureau Basis Onderwijs, t.b.v. het onderdeel Atletiek binnen het schoolsport toernooi, kosteloos beschikbaar gesteld.” That is, the stadium was made available free of charge for the athletics part of the school sport tournament run by the physical education and school sport department of the primary education bureau.[8]

No publication by the education ministry on school sport, and no national university sport body, was retrieved.

Were any sports invented in Suriname?

No federation, government instrument or standard reference retrieved claims that a sport was invented or codified in Suriname.

De Nationale Assemblée's registers of texts in force up to 2005 and of laws after 2005 contain no law with sport in its title, and Article 37 of the Grondwet names no national sport.[18][17][19]

References

  1. Olympedia — Suriname (SUR): narrative, participation tables, Medals by Games and Medals by sport tables. Accessed 2026-09-26.
  2. Olympedia — Surinaams Olympisch Comité: organisation page (founded 1956; recognised by the IOC 1959). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  3. Surinaams Olympisch Comité — home page (self-description: 1959 founded and IOC-recognised; 12+ federations; president elected 2017, re-elected 2021). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  4. Panam Sports — Olympic committees: Surinaams Olympisch Comité (president, secretary general, address). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  5. ANOC — NOCs directory: Surinaams Olympisch Comité (officers re-elected 24 September 2021). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  6. Surinaamse Voetbal Bond — home page (Prof Divisie, Eerste Divisie, Vrouwen Competitie, Jeugdcompetitie). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  7. Surinaamse Voetbal Bond — Bestuur (chairman 2025 – heden). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  8. Surinaamse Voetbal Bond — Jaarverslag 2025, gecorrigeerde finale versie, 26 juni 2026 (PDF). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  9. Surinaamse Voetbal Bond — Statuten, adopted 29 November 2024, published 20 December 2024 (PDF): Articles 1B and 69. Accessed 2026-09-26.
  10. SML — Suriname Major League: home page. Accessed 2026-09-26.
  11. FIFA — Member associations: Surinamese Football Association (SUR). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  12. Concacaf — Inside Concacaf, member associations: Suriname. Accessed 2026-09-26.
  13. Caribbean Football Union — Inside CFU: member associations. Accessed 2026-09-26.
  14. Concacaf — Suriname falls to Bolivia in World Cup Play-Off Tournament (26 March 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  15. De Nationale Assemblée — Ontwerpwet wijziging van de Wet tot regeling van het Surinamerschap en het Ingezetenschap (G.B. 1975 no. 171, zoals laatstelijk gewijzigd bij S.B. 2014 no. 121): submitted 19 August 2026, adopted 8 September 2026. Accessed 2026-09-26.
  16. GFC Nieuws — Suriname haalt juridische drempel weg voor sporters uit de diaspora (Sheryl Dayene Gallant, 8 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  17. De Nationale Assemblée — Surinaamse wetten: Wetten na 2005 (register searched; no sport title). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  18. De Nationale Assemblée — Surinaamse wetten: Geldende teksten t/m 2005 (register searched; no sport title). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  19. De Nationale Assemblée — Grondwet van de Republiek Suriname (S.B. 1987 no. 116, as amended by S.B. 1992 no. 38) (PDF): Articles 1 and 37. Accessed 2026-09-26.
  20. Government of Suriname (gov.sr) — Ministeries: list of ministries (as retrieved 26 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  21. 11v11 (English Football Statistics) — Suriname national football team: record v Guyana (single secondary source). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  22. Badminton Pan Am — Winners in Suriname – Pan Am Circuit 2025 (18 November 2025). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  23. Starnieuws — Veertien sporters vertegenwoordigen Suriname op South American Games (3 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  24. Starnieuws — Natio knokt zich terug en verslaat Honduras met 3-2 in debuut Fraser (26 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  25. Starnieuws — STVS verwerft exclusieve uitzendrechten WK 2026 voor Suriname (13 May 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  26. Starnieuws — Exclusieve WK-rechten STVS maken uitzending via ATV en SRS mogelijk (27 May 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  27. Telesur — ATV (managed by the state telecommunications company Telesur; channels 12.1 and 12.2). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  28. Suriname Herald — Officieel: Coronie Boys promoveert naar Suriname Major League (25 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  29. STVS — Sport, nationaal (items as retrieved 26 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  30. Starnieuws — Sport section (items as retrieved 26 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  31. Starnieuws — Amendement: Surinamerschapwet niet langer alleen voor topsporters (7 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  32. Dagblad De West — DNA opent met wijziging nationaliteitswet deur voor diaspora-sporters (8 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-26.
  33. International Korfball Federation — IKF Pan-American Korfball Championship 2026 (event page; Paramaribo; dates not fully confirmed). Accessed 2026-09-26.