Katie Couric Was Right: Amsterdam Really Does Skate On Canals

Katie Couric spoke too soon. Nearly three weeks after apologizing for quipping that Dutch people sometimes skate on frozen canals, dozens of Amsterdam residents proved her right by doing exactly that.

Europe’s current deep freeze – the “Beast from the East” – saw temperatures drop so hard that Amsterdam’s Prinsengracht canal turned to ice, drawing cold-defying crowds to strap on skates and do their best figure eights.

Photos of the skaters (check some out above and below) hit social media and news sites, proof that Couric’s mea culpa was unnecessary.

NBC’s Couric made the on-air comment during last month’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony in South Korea. Attempting to explain Dutch dominance in the skating events, Couric said, “It has lots of canals that can freeze in the winter… so for as long as those canals have existed, the Dutch have skated on them to get from place to place, to race each other and also to have fun.”

The reception for the Netherlands was chilly, to put it mildly. Twitterers mocked her with comments like, “No, the people in The Netherlands don’t skate to work or any place else. They drive, ride their bikes, use public transit or walk. Who gathered these facts for you? What’s next, for Summer Olympics you say they swim to work in the canals?”

And this from the Netherlands Embassy:

So Couric took it back, tweeting on February 12, “My apologies for being on thin ice for my comments re: skating on canals. I was trying to salute your historical passion for the sport but it didn’t come out that way! I’d ❤ to visit again & celebrate your success!”

Though she’d have every reason to gloat, Couric has yet to make any I Told You So tweets, despite the photographic evidence supporting her claim, like these: